Benia Chkhikvishvili

Benia Chkhikvishvili (also spelled Bénia Tchkhikvichvili) ( _ka. ბენია ჩხიკვიშვილი) (?-1924) was a Georgian politician who was involved in the Social Democratic movement in the early 20th century. An active member of the Menshevik party, he led the 1905 revolution in Guria ("Gurian Republic"), a Georgian province on the Black Sea. Became a de facto head of the peasant government, sometimes described by the contemporary observers as a "Gurian president" or even "Gurian king". [Stephen F. Jones (2005), "Socialism in Georgian Colors: The European Road to Social Democracy, 1883-1917", p. 149. Harvard University Press, ISBN 0674019024.]

During the short-lived independent Democratic Republic of Georgia, he served as a mayor of Tiflis, the capital of Georgia (1919-1920). After the Soviet invasion of Georgia, he immigrated to France, where he became an official owner of the Leuville chateau, a residence of the Georgian government-in-exile. [ [http://www.caucaz.com/home_eng/breve_contenu.php?id=97 "Leuville-sur-Orge: a little Georgia 25 kilometers away southward from Paris"] , by Eva Csergo (Translated by Marie Anderson). CAUCAZ.COM - Article published in 27/12/2004 Issue.] He returned to Georgia in 1923 to take part in the preparations for a general uprising against the Bolshevik regime. He was arrested, however, and executed.

References