In the second part of the 1920s agricultural collectivization was a policy pursued under the Soviet Union. Heavy industry was to be developed rapidly. During the 1920s and the 1930s many factories were built in Georgia.

The goal of agricultural collectivization was to consolidate individual land and labour into collective farms (kolkhozy). Collectivization meant the transformation of agriculture from private-capitalist to collective-socialist production. Thus wealthy peasant’s (kulaks) private property was confiscated which caused resistance from them. The process of collectivization appeared to be very hard in Georgia.

Rural households entered collective farms with their land, livestock, hired workers, working machines and other assets. Many peasants opposed collectivization, often responded with acts of sabotage, included burning of crops and slaughtering draught animals. There were also some cases of destruction of property, and attacks on officials and members of the collectives.

The Soviet government responded to these acts by force. Wealthy peasants were deemed to be exploiters. It caused resistance between the family members. Those people who opposed collectivization were executed or sent to forced-labor camps. Many peasants families were forcibly resettled in Siberia into exile settlements. On August 7, 1932, the Decree about the Protection of Socialist Property proclaimed that the punishment for theft of kolkhoz or cooperative property was the death sentence, which “under extenuating circumstances’ could be replaced by at least ten years of incarceration.

The record of doubtful persons increased. They were announced to be enemies of the people. They were quitted from works and their children were excluded from schools. The Great Purge was extremely hard for people from the second part of 1935 to November of 1938.

On December 1, 1934 famous politician S. Kirov was assassinated. Presumably he was killed to restrict the Great Purge.

Indeed, since 1935 number of the punished people increased greatly. Thousands of officials were sentenced to death. Many famous people from the Soviet intelligentsia were sent into exile. People didn’t know a real reason of the repression. They were accused to be traitors and people’s enemy, the chauvinists and nationalists, which were obviously absurd.