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ix 
7- T
HE 
T
URN OF 
E
VENTS
...............................................................................................160 
8- T
HE 
W
ORLD 
W
AR 
II 
AND THE 
N
ORTH 
C
AUCASIAN 
E
MIGRES
...................................166 
CHAPTER IV: THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION AND REEMERGENCE 
OF UNITY..................................................................................................................175 
1- P
ERESTROIKA AND 
G
LASNOST
’.................................................................................178 
2- T
HE 
R
ISING 
G
EORGIAN 
N
ATIONALISM
, A
BKHAZIA AND THE 
F
ORMATION OF THE 
A
SSEMBLY OF THE 
M
OUNTAIN 
P
EOPLES OF THE 
C
AUCASUS
.....................................182 
3- T
HE 
A
CTIVITIES OF THE 
A
SSEMBLY
..........................................................................187 
4- F
ROM 
A
SSEMBLY TO THE 
C
ONFEDERATION
..............................................................191 
5- A
CTIVITIES OF THE 
C
ONFEDERATION
........................................................................197 
6- T
HE 
S
PLIT
: F
ROM 
C
ONFEDERATION OF THE 
M
OUNTAIN 
P
EOPLES OF THE 
C
AUCASUS TO 
THE 
C
ONFEDERATION OF 
C
AUCASIAN 
P
EOPLES
.........................................................200 
7- T
HE 
C
OSSACK 
F
ACTOR AND THE 
CPC ......................................................................211 
8- I
NCREASING 
R
USSIAN 
A
CTIVITY
...............................................................................216 
CHAPTER V: REGIONAL DISPUTES AND THE CONFEDERATION................221 
1- T
HE 
G
EORGIAN
-S
OUTH 
O
SETIAN 
C
ONFLICT
.............................................................224 
2- T
HE 
I
NGUSH
-O
SETIAN 
P
ROBLEM
..............................................................................233 
3- T
HE 
C
ONFLICT AND THE 
C
ONFEDERATION
...............................................................237 
4- T
HE 
A
BKHAZ
-G
EORGIAN CONFLICT
.........................................................................250 
5- C
ONFEDERATION AND THE 
A
BKHAZ 
C
ONFLICT
........................................................254 
6- T
HE 
C
HECHEN 
S
TRUGGLE FOR 
I
NDEPENDENCE AND 
S
EEKING FOR A 
U
NITED 
F
RONT
268 
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................280 
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...........................................................................................................301 
APPENDICES .................................................................................................................322 
LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE .......................................................................................323 
POPULATION OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS (1897 R
USSIAN 
C
ENSUS
) ................325 
POPULATION OF NORTH CAUCASIAN PEOPLES (1926, 1959, 1970, 1989).....326 
SLAVIC POPULATION IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS...........................................327 
 

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1 
 
 
INTRODUCTION 
In this thesis, an attempt has been made to look into the common identity 
building process of the native peoples of the North Caucasus. The identity building 
process normally requires various factors, such as common religion, language, 
geography, common history and sometimes a working economic network. In the 
case of the North Caucasus, however, these factors sometimes play a role, while 
some other times they do not. 
The point here to be borne in mind is that the history of the region, as well 
as the social structure, is quite sui generis. Throughout history, the region has 
hosted a number of peoples, whose numbers are occasionally limited to some 
hundreds, and whose mother tongues are quite different from each other. The 
example of Dagestan, the eastern part of the North Caucasus, with more than 30 
ethno-linguistic groups can give a clue to a reader on the structure of the region. 
It is interesting to note that although the region changed hands several 
times, the outsiders (such as Sassanian, Golden Horde, Crimean and etc.) hardly 
interfered with the traditional law and order. And the Ottoman rule over the region 
was no exception: it scarcely made any attempt to alter the traditional rule. 
Despite the existence of great ethno-linguistic diversity, all the inhabitants 
of the North Caucasus shared the same way of life, traditions, customs and even the 
costume determined by harsh mountain conditions and thus they unified by broad 
cultural similarities. 
It is also believed that all these commonalities created a mode of life, or a 
common identity encompassing the peoples of the North Caucasus called Gortsy or 

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2 
 
the Mountaineer identity. In line with that all these peoples of the North Caucasus 
defined with the general name of Mountaineer by the Russians and then it was 
accepted even by themselves. 
The peoples of the North Caucasus, however, had continued a life in an 
atomized state. This atomized peoples and structures never felt it necessary to form 
a common, comprehensive organization or the State. Until the 16
th
 century tribe 
was the main source of identification among the peoples of the North Caucasus and 
in this period the most widespread form of settlement was a village that comprised 
mainly of one tribe. This diffused structure was only strengthened the 
particularistic nature of the North Caucasus. 
Beyond the establishment of some loose alliances, there was no 
comprehensive body or the state in the North Caucasus. Peoples continued their 
lives withinin their own domains, mainly the small villages, without a need of 
establishing a common organization, state, or like. Later, in time, because of the 
economic and legal relationships, and of security concerns, more comprehensive 
settlements, or rural communes comprised of several tribes began to form. These 
bodies, however, not permanent political formations and thus did not caused the 
emergence of the feeling of belonging to the same organization or the body. 
The feeling of freedom, culture and the common way of life were turned 
into a conscious bond by the emergence of an alien power: the Russians. By the 
late 16
th
 century, the North Caucasus emerged as the main target for the Russian 
expansion. The Russians endeavoured to establish firm and centralised 
administration, which soon caused havoc in terms of the survival of the traditional 
system. 

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