Committee of Independent Georgia

It aimed at ending Imperial Russian rule in Georgia and reasserting the country’s independence under German protection.

The committee was chaired by Petre Surguladse; other members included Prince Georges Matchabelli, Mikheil Tsereteli (a notable scholar who had abandoned Kropotkinite Anarchism in favor of Georgian nationalism), Leo and Giorgi Kereselidze, and the Muslim Georgian Osman Bey (Meliton) Kartsivadze.

The leading independent political party, the Social Democrats (Mensheviks), maintained neutrality and did not engage in antiwar activity.

Thus the Mensheviks were reluctant to collaborate with the committee, which advocated a break with Russia and an independent Georgian state.

But at that time, Zhordania considered any confrontation with the Tsarist administration political suicide and Tsereteli’s mission ended unsuccessfully.