Irakli Tsereteli: Democracy and the Right of Nations to Self-Determination

This article examines the views of Irakli Tsereteli (1881–1959), one of the most prominent Georgian orators, a leader of the Georgian national movement, a major ideologue of social democracy, Minister of Posts and Telegraphs and Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Provisional Government in 1917, and a member of the Constituent Assembly of Georgia. When Tsereteli became involved in the turbulent events of the early twentieth century, he, as a jurist, developed a strong interest in questions of international law, including issues of war and peace, international treaties, and the legal legitimization of the idea of world revolution. One of the most pressing issues of that era was the implementation of the right of nations to self-determination. In his numerous public addresses, Tsereteli called upon political leaders throughout the world to contribute to the formation of a new system of international law. The political and legal views of Irakli Tsereteli have not yet received comprehensive treatment in Russian historical and legal scholarship; existing studies tend to focus only on particular episodes of his life and political activity. His understanding of such issues of international law as the principle of the non-use of force, the establishment of international organizations, and the right of nations to self-determination remains insufficiently explored. This article addresses only one aspect of Tsereteli’s intellectual legacy. The author argues that, in the context of the contemporary crisis of international law, renewed attention to the ideas and concepts advanced by political and legal thinkers of the early twentieth century, including Irakli Tsereteli, may prove highly valuable.

1. Chernykh VV. Siberian stage of the life of the Menshevik Tsereteli. Scientific Digest of the East Siberian Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. 2019;2(2):324-329. (In Russ.).

2. Jones SF. Socialism in Georgian colors: The European road to social democracy, 1883–1917. Boston: Harvard University Press; 2005.

3. Khakhalkina EV, Wagner AV, Erbakhaev OL, Kulinich PA, Lukova EE. Versailles-Washington system of international relations through the eyes of Russian historians. Tomsk State University Journal of History. 2020;63:104-109. (In Russ.).

4. Khalafyan RM. Norms of international «soft» law in the legal system of the Russian Federation. Author’s Abstract. Cand. Sci. (Law) Diss. Kazan; 2016. (In Russ.).

5. Lee E. Georgian experiment: the forgotten revolution of 1918–1921. Trans. from English by Rismukhamedova I.A. Moscow, St. Petersburg: Nestor-Istoria Publ.; 2019. (In Russ.).

6. Makarova GP. Implementation of Lenin’s national policy in the first years of Soviet power (1917–1920). Moscow: Nauka Publ.; 1969. (In Russ.).

7. Nenarokov AP, Savelyev PYu. Fedor Ilyich Dan, Irakli Georgievich Tsereteli. In: Nenarokov AP, Savelyev PYu. Dan F.I., Tsereteli I.G. Two ways. Selected Works. In 2 vols. Moscow: Rosspan Publ.; 2010. (In Russ.).

8. Revolution and Civil War in Russia: 1917–1923: encyclopedia. In 4 vols. Vol. 4. Moscow: Terra Publ.; 2008. (In Russ.).

9. Tsereteli I. The main question of our tactics (1927). In: Nenarokov AP, Savelyev PYu. Dan F.I., Tsereteli I.G. Two ways. Selected Works. In 2 vols. Moscow: Rosspan Publ.; 2010. (In Russ.).

10. Tsereteli I. War and the International (1914). In: In: Nenarokov AP, Savelyev PYu. Dan F.I., Tsereteli I.G. Two ways. Selected Works. In 2 vols. Moscow: Rosspan Publ.; 2010. (In Russ.).

11. Zabelina NYu. Belgian allies in the perception of the British during the First World War. Moscow University Bulletin. Series 8: History. 2010;1:85-94. (In Russ.).