Akaki Mgeladze

Akaki Mgeladze (1910-1980)  was a Soviet politician. He served as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party from 1952 to 1953. Before that he was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Abkhazia from 1943 until 1951. He also led both the Georgian and Abkhazian Komsomol and Gruzneft.
 Birth 
He was born in the Guria region of Georgia. He grew up in Abkhazia. 
Early career
After youth he served with the military on the Transcaucasian Front. Then he was appointed head of the Communist Party of Abkhazia by Joseph Stalin. Under Mgeladze, Georgian was made the language of instruction in Abkhazia. Abkhaz and Russian was replaced at the start of the 1945–46 academic year.

 Friendship with Stalin  
After the Second World War, Mgeladze became a confidant of Stalin. He declared that Abkhazia would produce lemons for the Soviet Union after Stalin repeatedly showed him lemon trees. Using his influence with Stalin, Mgeladze manoeuvred against the head of the Ministry of State Security Lavrentiy Beria. He denounced his corruption and that of Stalin’s other confidant Candide Charkviani, who was an ally of Beria. Mgeladze made Stalin turn against Charkviani and strengthened his distrust of Beria. In March 1952 Mgeladze was appointed First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party by Beria. He replaced Charkviani.

 Later life and death 
He wrote a memoir of his friendship with Joseph Stalin. He died in 1980.

References

Category:1910 births
Category:1980 deaths
Category:Soviet politicians