The "people's party of the Mountaineers of the Caucasus": ideology, activities and crises

The aim of the article is to consider the history of the creation, ideology and main stages of the activity of one of the main parties of North Caucasians in exile - the “People’s Party of the Caucasus Highlanders,” which functioned in Europe from 1926 until the start of World War II. The sources of this article were the documents from the archives of France and Russia, as well as articles by the leaders of this party. The party’s head, a Turkish citizen and the grandson of Imam Shamil - Said, is given special focus, as is the role of Polish politician and military figure Tadeusz Schetzel. The author investigates party membership, ideology, and the attitudes of its ideologists (B. Bilatti, T. Elekhoti, B. Baitugan, etc.) toward the “Caucasian Confederation” concept. This article aims to study the tools of the party’s activities (future war, League of Nations, etc.). There are four periods in the party’s activity: 1926–1930, 1931–1933, 1934–1936, 1937–1939. The author investigates both internal and foreign issues in the party. The “People’s Party of the Caucasus Mountain People,” on the one hand, did not have significant success in the socio-political life of North Caucasian emigrants in Europe in the 1920s-1930s, did not gain authority and respect among compatriots, but, on the other hand, it was a very important experience in the highlanders’ political activities and a very deep stage in the development of their political self-awareness.

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