Features of the formation of the North Caucasian political elite in emigration (1920-1930s)

Introduction. The aim of this article is to study the peculiarities of the formation of the North Caucasian political elite in emigration in France in the 1920s-1930s. This problem is solved using the example of the fate of major figures in the Mountain Republic, A.-M. Chermoev and the Dzhabagiev brothers. The main question of this study is the development of political thought and ideas about the state building on the North Caucasus among North Caucasian emigrants in France in the 1920s-1930s. Until 1917, the political development of the peoples in the North Caucasus was connected with Islam (Imam Shamil and his naibs, Muslim congresses, and the Muslim fraction in the State Duma). However, with emigration, the principles of the formation of the North Caucasian political elite and their views and activities were changed. Methods and materials. The study was prepared on the basis of the historical method with the primary archival sources, which were identified by the author in France (public and private archives) and in Russia. Analysis. The author of this article studied the desire of the North Caucasian leaders to form an alliance with the figures from Transcaucasia in order to create a single state and the principle of secularism in state building. These tendencies led to conflicts within the North Caucasian political elite, which they tried to resolve with the involvement of mediators - Transcaucasian leaders.