The Social-political and Cultural-Educational Situation in Batumi in 1879-1885

Abstract

This research examines the socio-political and cultural-educational landscape of Batumi between 1879 and 1885, a period marked by the city’s rapid transformation under the Russian Empire following its incorporation in1878. Drawing on literature sources, periodical press dedicated to this period, the study analyzes the political climate shaped by imperial administrative reforms, the activities of local and foreign communities, and the interplay between economic development and social change, Batumi ethnic and confessional diversity and etc. Important attention is given to the emergence of cultural and educational institutions, the spread of literacy, and the role of religious and ethnic diversity in shaping Batumi’s public life. The methodological approach combines historical-descriptive analysis with elements of comparative history, enabling a nuanced understanding of Batumi’s position as both a strategic port and a multicultural urban center. The findings reveal that the years 1879-1885 constituted a formative stage in the city’s integration into the imperial system, fostering new forms of civic engagement while also exposing tensions between traditional social structures and modernizing influences. This period laid the groundwork for the more dynamic socio-cultural processes that would characterize Batumi’s development at the turn of the twentieth century.