Alexander Nikuradse (Aleksandre Nikuradze; ka, ალექსანდრე ნიკურაძე), also known by his pseudonym Al. Sanders, (November 10, 1900 – June 13, 1981) was a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

physicist and

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

political scientist. Born in

Samtredia Samtredia ( ka, სამტრედია ) is a town in Imereti, Georgia, lying in a lowland between the rivers Rioni and Tskhenis-Tsqali, west of the capital Tbilisi, and west of Georgia's second largest city Kutaisi. Georgia’s most impor ...

, Georgia,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, he was sent by the

government to complete his studies in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Nikuradse remained in Berlin and became a German citizen after the 1921

Red Army invasion of Georgia The Red Army invasion of Georgia (15 February17 March 1921), also known as the Soviet–Georgian War or the Soviet invasion of Georgia,Debo, R. (1992). ''Survival and Consolidation: The Foreign Policy of Soviet Russia, 1918-1921'', pp. 182, 361� ...

. Being in staunch opposition to

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

rule in Georgia, he was actively involved in Georgian émigré activities, and had close

connections. Since their common days as Soviet exiles in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

in the early 1920s, he had been on friendly terms with

Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Ernst Rosenberg ( – 16 October 1946) was a Baltic German Nazi theorist and ideologue. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart and he held several important posts in the Nazi government. He was the head of ...

whose views on the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

were largely shaped under Nikuradse's influence. Dallin, Alexander (1981), ''German Rule in Russia, 1941-1945: A Study of Occupation Policies''. Westview Press, . He tried to lobby for an independent Georgia, and enlist German support for

anti-Soviet Anti-Sovietism, anti-Soviet sentiment, called by Soviet authorities ''antisovetchina'' (russian: антисоветчина), refers to persons and activities actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the ...

Georgian political emigration. Influenced by

Karl Haushofer Karl Ernst Haushofer (27 August 1869 – 10 March 1946) was a German general, professor, geographer, and politician. Through his student Rudolf Hess, Haushofer's conception of Geopolitik influenced the development of Adolf Hitler's expansio ...

's theory of "large spaces", he conceived an ambitious project of the German protectorate over the projected Caucasian confederation in which the Georgians were to play the leading role. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he used his prestige and influence to save many Georgians from Nazi repression. Lang, David Marshall (1962), ''A Modern History of Georgia'', p. 259. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. As a physicist, he chiefly engaged in

applied physics Applied physics is the application of physics to solve scientific or engineering problems. It is usually considered to be a bridge or a connection between physics and engineering. "Applied" is distinguished from "pure" by a subtle combination ...

. In particular he investigated

dielectric materials In electromagnetism, a dielectric (or dielectric medium) is an electrical insulator that can be polarised by an applied electric field. When a dielectric material is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the mater ...

and the theories of

electron The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no kn ...

s and

ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

s. He died in Munich, Germany. His brother,

Johann Nikuradse Johann Nikuradse ( ka, ივანე ნიკურაძე, ''Ivane Nikuradze'') (November 20, 1894 – July 18, 1979) was a Georgia-born German engineer and physicist. His brother, Alexander Nikuradse, was also a Germany-based physicist and g ...

(1894–1979), was also a notable German-based physicist.

Works

*Al. Sanders (1942), ''Kaukasien, Nordkaukasien, Aserbeidschan, Armenien, Georgien, geschichtlicher Umriß''. München: Hoheneichen-Verlag. *Al. Sanders (1942), ''Osteuropa in kontinentaleuropaeischer Schau''. München: Hoheneichen-Verlag. *Al. Sanders (1942), ''Um das Erbe Großbritanniens. Zur Wandlung der politischen Struktur der Übersee''. München: Hoheneichen-Verlag. *Nikuradse, Alexander (1952), ''Naturwissenschaft und Technik im Leben der Völker''. Oldenbourg, München.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikuradse, Alexander 1900 births 1981 deaths Collaborators with Nazi Germany from Georgia (country) Physicists from Georgia (country) 20th-century German physicists Soviet emigrants to Germany