Tsu
PhD in History, Associate Professor
Tbilisi/ Georgia
ivane.tsereteli@tsu.ge

 

The President in the Political Discourse of Presidents: Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Eduard Shevardnadze, and Mikheil Saakashvili

Abstract

The transformation of collective memory during periods of political transition offers a profound insight into a country’s development. Successive leaders often reshape the image of their predecessors to legitimize their own power and consolidate authority.

In post-independence Georgia, Zviad Gamsakhurdia holds a unique position. Despite his short rule, he became a founding figure of modern Georgian statehood. His image was actively used — and transformed — by subsequent presidents Eduard Shevardnadze and Mikheil Saakashvili as a tool for political legitimization and power consolidation.

Eduard Shevardnadze returned to power after the civil war and military coup. For him, weakening Gamsakhurdia’s image was essential. He sought to marginalize Gamsakhurdia’s supporters and establish a negative perception of the first president in order to strengthen the legitimacy of his own regime.

In contrast, Mikheil Saakashvili, who came to power through the Rose Revolution, used Gamsakhurdia’s image more positively. His decision to rebury the first president at Mtatsminda Pantheon played a decisive role in cementing Gamsakhurdia’s status as a national hero. This act significantly expanded Saakashvili’s support base.

Both leaders employed various means — political decisions, public speeches, legislative initiatives, and memoirs — to influence collective memory and shape the hero/anti-hero narrative according to their political needs. Over time, Gamsakhurdia’s image has stabilized as that of a national hero, and its instrumentalization in current political discourse has significantly decreased.

The study is grounded in Maurice Halbwachs’ theory of the social framing of collective memory, Jan and Aleida Assmann’s concepts of remembering and forgetting, Thomas Carlyle’s theory of heroes, and Max Weber’s ideas on political legitimacy.

Research methods include historical analysis, content analysis, and discourse analysis of political statements, decisions, and memoirs.