from Ordzhonisky to Stalin

Bolshevik leadership Correspondence. 1912-1927
Collection of documents 1996.
Compiled by: A.V.Kvashonkin, L.P.Kosheleva, L.A.Rogovaya, O.V.Khlevnyuk.

Stalin Correspondences

Telegram G. K. Ordzhonikidze V. I. Lenin, I. V. Stalin

December 12, 1920

Moscow Kremlin,

Lenin, Stalin.

Baku, 12/XII-20

Georgia, with the help of the Entente, undoubtedly set out to provoke the mountaineers to an uprising: they throw gold, manufactory, military units, a large number of Georgian and mountaineer officers into the mountains, thanks to which the situation in Dagestan is somewhat complicated. The Georgians are grouping their forces in the region of Lagodekhi, from where the counter-revolution in Dagestan 1 feeds and everything possible is done to start an uprising in the Transcaucasian district. Everything, apparently, is based on the fact that the suppression of the uprising on our part will cause a howl among the Muslims and thereby scare the Kemalists away from us. It should be noted that the suppression of the Ganja uprising was very cleverly used in Anatolia, this was also discussed in the national assembly 2. The situation in Georgia itself is such that without much difficulty we will put an end to it: uprisings [in] Borchali district, Abkhazia, Adzharia, Dusheti district will be carried out 3 . Once again I bring all this to your attention and ask for instructions. Ordzhonikidze.

RTSKHIDNI. F. 85. Op. 15. D. 65. L. 1-2. Autograph.

Notes:

1 We are talking about an uprising against Soviet power in Nagorno-Dagestan in September 1920 - May 1921. The uprising took place under the slogans of pan-Islamism, the liquidation of the Soviet autonomy of Dagestan and the establishment of a Sharia monarchy. Among the organizers of the uprising were members of the Gorsky and Terek-Dagestan governments that existed from November 1917 to September 1920. Among the rank-and-file participants in the uprising, the majority were dissatisfied with the Bolshevik policy of the surplus appraisal. The total number of participants in the uprising in the spring of 1921 was about 9.5 thousand people. The uprising was suppressed mainly by the forces of the 10th Terek-Dagestan Army in May 1921.

2 Anti-Soviet uprising in Ganja (Azerbaijan) in May 1920. Turkish officers took part in its organization. The overwhelming majority of the rebels were Muslims. Harsh measures to suppress the uprising were discussed in the Kemal government in the context of Soviet policy towards Muslims.

3 We are talking about preparing uprisings against the Georgian government.