Belarus became one of the first 4 Soviet republics to sign the Treaty on the Formation of the USSR on December 30, 1922.
In March 1924 and December 1926, parts of Vitebsk (with Vitebsk), Smolensk (with Orsha), Gomel (with Gomel) provinces were transferred to the Belarusian SSR. This decision was made at a Politburo meeting on November 29, 1923. These lands were defined as “related to it (the BSSR) in everyday, ethnographic and economic relations.”
The decree was signed by Joseph Stalin.
Initially, it was planned to transfer the entire province to the BSSR, but, according to the 1920 census, the majority of the population in them was Russian.
As a result of the first consolidation, the territory of the BSSR more than doubled, the population increased from 1.6 million to 4.2 million people.
As a result of the second consolidation, the population of the republic increased by 650 thousand people and amounted to a total of about 5 million people. The eastern border of the BSSR began to correspond to the eastern border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Tarashkevich and the Belarusian language
The Belarusian language was standardized over the years Soviet power. In 1918, a teacher at Petrograd University, Bronislav Tarashkevich, prepared the first grammar of the Belarusian language, normalizing spelling for the first time.
This is how the so-called Tarashkevitsa appeared - a language norm later adopted in the Belarusian emigration.
In 1933, Tarashkevich was opposed to the grammar of the Belarusian language, which was created as a result of the language reforms of the 1930s. It gained a foothold and was used in Belarus until 2005, when it was partially unified with the Tarashkewitz.
In the 1920s, on the official emblem of the BSSR the phrase “Workers of all countries unite!” was written in four languages: Russian, Polish, Yiddish and Tarashkevich.
In addition to the Belarusian language and Tarashkevitsa, there is another form of Belarusian speech - Trasyanka. It is a mixture of Russian and Belarusian languages, it is found everywhere in Belarus even now. Among its linguistic analogues is Surzhik (a mixture of Russian and Ukrainian), widespread in Ukraine and in the southern regions of Russia.
Belarusian oil
On August 6, 1958, by order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, construction of a large industrial complex- Novopolotsk oil refinery.
The plant was built “by the whole world,” and the All-Union Komsomol Shock Construction Project was declared in the USSR.
The location was not chosen by chance. The proximity of the western borders made it possible to export to countries Western Europe, the plant could supply the western regions of the USSR with oil, and Polotsk, located nearby, served as a convenient transport hub.
Initially, the plant's capacity was designed to process 6 million tons of crude oil per year.
On February 9, 1963, the first Belarusian gasoline was received in Novopolotsk (the city was “born of construction”). NAFTAN is still the largest oil refinery in Belarus.
Fertilizers
During the years of Soviet power, Belarus became one of the largest producers and exporters potash fertilizers in the world. In 1958, in Belarusian Polesie they began to develop the Starobinskoye potassium salt deposit, discovered in 1949.
The only “mining city” in Belarus, Soligorsk, was built here.
In the 1980s, Belaruskali occupied 17% of the global potash fertilizer market.
The enterprise survived the collapse of the Union with complications, but today, according to the International Fertilizer Association, Belaruskali produces a seventh of the world's volume of potash fertilizers, exporting its products to more than 70 countries.
Giants
Belarus is still famous today for its giant cars. The name "BelAZ" has become a household name. Soviet children called any very large trucks that way.
The first mining dump truck appeared in the USSR in 1951. This was the predecessor of the BelAZ MAZ-525, produced at the Minsk Automobile Plant from 1951 to 1959. After, until 1967 - at BelAZ. The vehicle's carrying capacity was 25 tons. It featured for the first time a 12-cylinder diesel engine, power steering, planetary gearboxes in the hubs of the rear wheels. A fluid coupling was installed between the engine and clutch.
The rear wheels of the MAZ-525 with a diameter of 172 cm were attached rigidly to the body, without suspension.
In 1965, the Belarusian Automobile Plant in Zhodino began production of a radically new dump truck - the BelAZ-540, one of the best mining dump trucks in the world. This giant became the first owner of the Quality Mark and was a real breakthrough in technological thought. BelAZ-540 was the first car produced in the USSR with hydropneumatic wheel suspension, combined hydraulic power steering and body lift systems.
The BelAZ-540 used a screw steering mechanism, a hydromechanical transmission, pneumatic-hydraulic suspension of the rear and front axles and a welded box-section frame.
By 1986, BelAZ was producing up to 6,000 cars per year (half of their global production).
BelAZs remain the largest vehicles in the territory of the former Soviet Union, they operate in almost 50 countries around the world.
Appliances
During the years of the USSR, Belarus was one of the main producers of high-quality electronics and household appliances. Transistor radios of the Spidola family, produced at the Minsk Radio Plant since 1960, have become iconic. Their mass production began in 1962.
The Minsk Radio Plant also produced Horizont televisions, which were among the most popular in the USSR.
Belarus was famous in Soviet time and its own refrigerators produced at the Minsk plant. Here, for the first time in the USSR, were developed two-chamber refrigerators, freezers and polyurethane foam insulation. Belarusian refrigerators were exported to more than 10 countries in Europe and Asia. The first refrigerator was released in 1962.
Interesting fact: in 1959-1961, Lee Harvey Oswald, the only official suspect in the assassination of John Kennedy, worked as a turner at the Minsk Radio Plant.
In Minsk he met his wife Maria Prusakova. The Oswalds had a daughter, June, in Soviet Belarus. They left Minsk on May 22, 1962. Less than a year and a half remained before the events that would make Lee Harvey “famous.” After the death of her husband, Marina Oswald will appear on the cover of Time magazine.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Speaking about Belarus, one cannot fail to mention Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The reserve was established by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars on January 4, 1940. It is still one of the largest tourist centers The Republic of Belarus. The state border between Poland and Belarus passes through Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
On December 8, 1991, at the Viskuli government residence, which is located on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed a document that went down in history as the “Belovezhskaya Agreement”. He stated: “The USSR as a subject of international law and geopolitical reality ceases to exist.” The current President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, still regrets the collapse of the USSR today, which he emphasizes in every second interview.
The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (Belarusian Savetskaya Satsyyalistichnaya Respublika) is one of the republics of the Soviet Union. It was one of the 4 states that founded the USSR in 1922. It existed from January 1, 1922 to December 10, 1991.
Belarus during the Civil War. Proclamation of the BPR
On March 25, 1918, representatives of national parties and movements under the German occupation announced the creation of an independent Belarusian People's Republic (BPR). After the departure of the Germans, the territory was occupied by the Red Army, the government of the BPR was forced to emigrate and on January 1, 1919, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus (later renamed the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic) was proclaimed in Smolensk, which, after a short period of “Litbela” (Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic; February-August 1919) became part of the USSR in December 1922.
In February 1919, Polish troops invaded Belarus. On August 8, Polish troops occupied Minsk, which was recaptured by the Red Army only in July of the following year.
According to the results of the Riga Peace Treaty of 1921, the territories of Western Belarus, located east of the Curzon Line, with a predominant Belarusian population, ceded to Poland.
Belarus in the 20-30s
In the 1920-1930s. Industrialization processes were actively underway in Soviet Belarus, and new branches of industry and agriculture were formed. At the same time, the policy of Russification continued: in particular, during the language reform of 1933, more than 30 phonetic and morphological features characteristic of the Russian language were introduced into the Belarusian language.
In the territory of Western Belarus, annexed by Poland, the Polish government also did not comply with the provisions of the Treaty of Riga on equal rights for all ethnic groups. Only until March 1923, of the 400 existing Belarusian schools, almost all were closed, with the exception of 37. At the same time, 3,380 Polish schools were opened in Western Belarus. In 1938-1939 there were only 5 general education Belarusian schools left. 1300 Orthodox churches was converted to Catholicism, often with the use of violence. After the establishment of the authoritarian “sanation” regime in Poland, there was an increasing infringement of the cultural rights of national minorities. Since 1934, in the city of Bereza-Kartuzskaya (now Bereza, Brest region), a Polish concentration camp operated as a place of extrajudicial internment of opponents of the ruling regime. According to the "Encyclopedia of the History of Belarus", in the period 1921-39, about 300 thousand "siege" colonists, as well as Polish officials, were resettled from ethnic Polish lands to western Belarus different categories. Estates belonging to persons “hostile to Poland” and state lands were transferred to the besiegers.
During the Stalinist repressions, hundreds of thousands of representatives of the intelligentsia, the cultural and creative elite, and simply wealthy peasants were shot, exiled to hard labor in Siberia and Central Asia. Of the 540-570 writers publishing in Belarus in the 1920-1930s of the twentieth century, at least 440-460 (80%) were repressed, and if we take into account the authors forced to leave their homeland, then at least 500 (90%) were subjected to repression. a quarter of the total number of writers (2000) repressed in the USSR. The number of people who passed through the camps is estimated at approximately 600-700 thousand people, and those shot - at least 300 thousand people.
The Second World War
As a result of the invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union in September 1939, Western Belarus was occupied Soviet troops and annexed to the BSSR.
Repressions immediately began in the occupied territory. In the Baranovichi region alone, from October 1939 to June 29, 1940, according to the most conservative estimates, more than 29 thousand people were repressed; During the occupation, approximately the same number (33 thousand 733 people) would be taken by the Germans for forced labor in Germany.
At the beginning of the war between Germany and the USSR (1941-1945), the territory of Belarus was occupied German troops. The territory of Belarus was declared a general district within the Reichskommissariat Ostland. In December 1943, a collaborationist government, the Belarusian Central Rada, was created, which had mainly advisory functions.
The partisan movement, which spread widely in Belarus, became an important factor that forced the Nazis to keep a significant contingent here and contributed to the speedy liberation of Belarus. In 1944, there were a total of 373,942 people in partisan detachments on the territory of Belarus. Belarus was liberated by the Red Army during the Belarusian operation.
On the territory of Belarus, the German occupiers created 260 concentration camps, in which about 1.4 million civilians and Soviet prisoners of war were killed. The Nazis transported 399 thousand 374 people from the territory of Belarus to work in Germany.
According to the data of the Khatyn memorial complex, the Germans and collaborators carried out more than 140 major punitive operations in Belarus; the population of areas suspected of supporting partisans was destroyed and taken to death camps or for forced labor in Germany. Of the 9,200 settlements destroyed and burned by the German occupiers and collaborators in Belarus, over 5,295 were destroyed along with all or part of the population. According to other data, the number of destroyed settlements during punitive operations - 628.
Some sources also claim that Soviet partisans carried out punitive operations against civilians. In particular, during the work on the book-document “I am from the flames of the sky...”, Belarusian writers and publicists Ales Adamovich, Yanka Bryl and Vladimir Kolesnik, during a survey, received testimony from Vera Petrovna Sloboda, a teacher from the village of Dubrovy not far from the village of Osveya Vitebskaya region about the punitive action of a partisan detachment under the command of V.P. Kalaijan, during which civilians who did not want to leave the village before the arrival of German troops were exterminated. Eighty people were killed and the village was burned. On April 14, 1943, partisans attacked the village of Drazhno in the Starodorozhsky district of Belarus. The village was burned almost completely, most of the inhabitants were brutally tortured.
During the war years, Belarus lost about a third of its population (34% of the pre-war population of the country within its current borders - 3 million people), the country lost more than half of its national wealth. 209 cities, towns, regional centers and more than 9 thousand villages were completely or partially destroyed.
After the end of the war, anti-Soviet partisan groups operated on the territory of Belarus for several years. Western intelligence agencies tried to establish contact with some of them. NKVD detachments carried out punitive operations against anti-Soviet resistance.
Post-war time
In 1945, after the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was a founding member of the United Nations as a sovereign state. On June 26, 1945, K.V. Kiselyov, at the head of the delegation of the Byelorussian SSR, signed the UN Charter, which was ratified by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the BSSR on August 30, 1945. In November-December 1945, the Belarusian delegation took part in the work of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations General Assembly in London, at which the head of the delegation of the Belarusian SSR, K.V. Kiselev, was elected vice-chairman of the fourth committee.
In the 1950-1970s. The restoration of the country proceeded at a rapid pace, industry and Agriculture. The economy of Belarus was a key part of the national economic complex of the USSR; Belarus was called " assembly shop» Soviet economy.
Collapse of the USSR
Political processes of the late 1980s - early 1990s. led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the communist system. July 27, 1990 The Supreme Council The BSSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty. On September 19, 1991, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) was renamed the Republic of Belarus. It should be noted that on March 17, 1991, at the all-Union referendum on the preservation of the USSR, 82.7% of those who took part in the vote (83.3% of those included in the voting lists took part) were in favor of preserving USSR, which indicated the lack of desire of the inhabitants of Belarus to secede from the union.
In December 1991, as a result Belovezhskaya Accords Belarus joined the Commonwealth of Independent States.
On March 15, 1994, the Supreme Council adopted the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, according to which it was declared a unitary democratic social rule of law. In accordance with the Constitution, the Republic of Belarus is a presidential republic.
Hymn
We, Belarusians, are with brotherly Russia
Once upon a time they were looking for a gift.
About battles for freedom, about battles for share
Because of her, we won a great deal!
We were abducted by Lenina’s name, Partya, by chance, got in touch with us. Glory to the party! Glory to Radzima! Glory to the Belarusian people!
Strength, people of Belarus
About the brother's union, about the husband's family
We will live forever, free people,
Happy life, free land!
We were abducted by Lenina’s name, Partya, by chance, got in touch with us. Glory to the party! Glory to Radzima! Glory to you, our people are free!
Friendship of the people is the strength of the people,
Towards the end of the day
I'm proud to see the bright heights,
Sign up for kamunizm – gladly sign up!
We were abducted by Lenina’s name, Partya, by chance, got in touch with us. Glory to the party! Glory to Radzima! Glory to you, our Savetsky people!
Translation
We, Belarusians, are with fraternal Russia,
Together we looked for roads to happiness.
In battles for will, in battles for share,
With her we got the flag of victories.
We are united by Lenin's name. The Party, fortunately, leads us on the march of the Party, glory! Glory to the Fatherland! Glory to you, Belarusian people!
Gathering strength, the people of Belarus
In a brotherly union, in a powerful family
We will forever be, free people
Live in a happy, free land
We are united by Lenin's name. The Party, fortunately, leads us on the march of the Party, glory! Glory to the Fatherland! Glory to you, our free people!
Friendship of peoples is the strength of peoples,
To the happiness of workers the sunny path
Rise proudly to the bright heights,
The flag of communism is a flag of joy!
We are united by Lenin's name. The Party, fortunately, leads us on the march of the Party, glory! Glory to the Fatherland! Glory to you, our Soviet people!
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Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR; Belor. Belarusian Savetskaya Socialist Republic listen)) is a union republic within the USSR.
First proclaimed on January 1, 1919 under the name Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus, which on January 31, 1919 seceded from the RSFSR, and on February 27 merged with (Litbel).
Litbel ceased to exist as a result of the Polish occupation during the Soviet-Polish War. On July 12, 1920, as a result of the Moscow Treaty concluded between the RSFSR and Lithuania, Litbel was virtually liquidated. Legally, the Litbel SSR ceased to exist on July 31, 1920, when the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus was restored in Minsk, which later changed its name to the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. The BSSR, among 4 Soviet republics, signed the Treaty on the Formation of the USSR on December 30, 1922.
On September 19, 1991, the BSSR was renamed the Republic of Belarus, and on December 8, 1991, an Agreement on the creation of the CIS was signed with the RSFSR and Ukraine.
At the end of 1918, Belarusian political and public structures held different views on the issue of creating Belarusian statehood. The regional executive committee of the Western Region and the Front and the Northwestern Regional Committee of the RCP (b) were opponents of its creation, while ethnic Belarusian refugees in Petrograd, Moscow and other cities created their own influential socio-political organizations and insisted on self-determination.
Until December 1918, the Soviet party leadership had no a certain position on the issue of Belarusian Soviet statehood. In December, a telegram was sent from the Obliskomzap to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR containing the following text: . In connection with the change in the military-political situation, a decision is ripe. Although proposals for the creation of the Belarusian Soviet Republic were made earlier, Special attention The Central Committee of the RCP(b) was attracted by the decisions of the conference of the Belarusian sections of the RCP(b), which decided to create a temporary workers' and peasants' government, convene the All-Belarusian Congress of Communists and create a national party center. On December 24, the issue of creating a Belarusian Soviet statehood was discussed at a meeting of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). On December 25, People's Commissar for Nationalities Joseph Stalin held negotiations with Dmitry Zhilunovich and Alexander Myasnikov and informed them of the decision of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) to support the creation of the BSSR. Stalin, however, did not report the reasons for this decision, saying only that the Central Committee decided “for many reasons, which there is no need to talk about now, to agree with the Belarusian comrades on the formation of the Belarusian Soviet Republic.” On December 27, at the last negotiations in Moscow with the participation of Stalin, the territory of the future state was designated (Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, Smolensk, Vitebsk provinces).
“were agitated around the issue of so-called Belarus, as well as in connection with the active activities of the BPR Rada regarding its international recognition”The decree on the boundaries of the new state was adopted on the same day. The territory of the new state was divided into seven districts - Minsk, Smolensk, Vitebsk, Mogilev, Gomel, Grodno and Baranovichi. Minsk, Smolensk, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Grodno provinces, as well as several districts of Suvalkovo, Chernigov, Vilna and Kovno provinces and with the exception of several districts of Smolensk and Vitebsk provinces were recognized as the “main core Belarusian Republic» .
On December 30-31, a provisional government was created. During these days, a conflict occurred between Zhilunovich and Myasnikov related to Zhilunovich’s desire to get the majority of seats in the provisional government for representatives of the Belnatskom and the Central Bureau of the Belarusian communist sections, but the conflict was settled thanks to the intervention of Stalin. As a result, Belnatsky and the Central Bank of the Belarusian sections received 7 seats in the provisional government, while representatives of the Regional Executive Committee of the Western Region and the Front and the North-Western Regional Committee received 9. At the same time, Zhilunovich was appointed chairman of the provisional government.
On the evening of January 1, 1919, the “Manifesto of the Provisional Workers’ and Peasants’ Soviet Government of Belarus” was read out on the radio. The manifesto was drawn up in a hurry, and only by five members of the government (Zhilunovich, Chervyakov, Myasnikov, Ivanov, Reingold) first in Russian and then translated into Belarusian. This date is considered the date of the proclamation of Soviet Belarus.
On January 3, 1919, the regional executive committee of the Western Region and the Front dissolved itself, transferring power to the provisional government of the SSR of Belarus. On January 5, 1919, the government of the SSRB moved from Smolensk to Minsk.
On January 16, at the plenum of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), it was decided to separate “from the Belarusian Republic the provinces of Vitebsk, Smolensk and Mogilev, leaving two provinces within Belarus - Minsk and Grodno.” In addition, there were proposals to begin preparations for unification with Lithuania, and in the future - with Russia and other Soviet republics.
The resolution of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) was negatively received by the majority of the Central Executive Committee of the SSR of Belarus, however, in connection with the telegram of the Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Ya. Sverdlov, which contained an instruction to “carry out this decision through the local Soviets, and then through the Congress of Belarus,” the resolution was ultimately approved at provincial party conferences. In protest against the directive change in the territory of the republic, three people's commissars resigned from the government. In addition, such actions were unpopular locally - for example, the Nevelsk district conference, by 21 votes to 2, adopted a resolution against the transfer of the Vitebsk province to the direct subordination of the RSFSR.
On January 31, 1919, the independence of the SSR of Belarus was recognized by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR. On February 2, 1919, the First All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Red Army Deputies began its work in Minsk, which adopted the Constitution of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus on February 3. 230 delegates took part in the congress, including 121 people from the Minsk province, 49 from the Smolensk province and none from the Vitebsk province; Yakov Sverdlov was also present at the congress. At the congress, the Central Executive Committee of the SSRB was elected, which was headed by Myasnikov and included only two representatives of Belnatsky. On February 27, 1919, the SSR of Belarus united with the Lithuanian Soviet Republic in Litbel. The Litbela SSR ceased to exist due to the occupation of its territory by the troops of the Polish Republic during the Soviet-Polish War.
After the liberation of a significant part of the territory of Belarus by the Red Army on July 31, 1920, the independence of the republic was restored, and its name changed to the Belarusian Socialist Soviet Republic. On the same day in the newspaper " Soviet Belarus"The Declaration of Independence of the BSSR was published. The BSSR is one of the four republics that concluded an agreement on the creation of the USSR in 1922.
In March 1924 and December 1926, part of the territory of the RSFSR, namely: parts of Vitebsk (with Vitebsk), Smolensk (with Orsha), Gomel (with Gomel) provinces, were transferred to the Belarusian SSR [ ] . Thus, the territory of the BSSR more than doubled, and its eastern border began to generally correspond to the eastern border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth [ ] .
On March 15, 1935, she was awarded the Order of Lenin for her successes in socialist construction and the development of the national economy of the BSSR.
Until 1936, the official languages of the republic, along with Belarusian and Russian, were Polish and Yiddish. The slogan “Workers of all countries, unite! "was inscribed on the coat of arms of the BSSR in all four languages.
On October 10, 1939, the USSR and the Republic of Lithuania jointly concluded an Agreement on the transfer to it of Vilno and part of the Vilna region from the BSSR. Representatives of the BSSR did not take part in the discussion of the terms of the agreement, nor in the negotiations, nor in the signing of the agreement.
2015-01-01
origin of name
Before the capture of Polotsk by the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1563, the entire territory of modern. Belarus, both in Rus' and in the West, was classified as the so-called. Chermnaya, or Black Rus'; “White” Russia (lat. Ruthenia Alba) in the Middle Ages exclusively called the region to the north and northeast of present-day Belarus, i.e., the future Muscovite Rus'; in the XVI-XVII centuries. we bury “Belaya Rus” (“White Russia”, “Belorossiya”, etc.) spread to the Vitebsk and Mogilev regions, and throughout the entire modern. It gained a foothold in Belarus only in the 19th century. Some researchers associate the origin of the name “Belaya Rus” with the word “white” meaning “independent, free”, others - with the appearance of the population of the northern part of Rus', the predominant color of clothing in the same region, or even with the white color that predominated in the decoration of the main buildings in cities of the Vladimir-Suzdal land.
origin of name
Before the capture of Polotsk by the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1563, the entire territory of modern. Belarus, both in Rus' and in the West, was classified as the so-called. Chermnaya, or Black Rus'; “White” Russia (lat. Ruthenia Alba) in the Middle Ages exclusively called the region to the north and northeast of present-day Belarus, i.e., the future Muscovite Rus'; in the XVI-XVII centuries. we bury “Belaya Rus” (“White Russia”, “Belorossiya”, etc.) spread to the Vitebsk and Mogilev regions, and throughout the entire modern. It gained a foothold in Belarus only in the 19th century. Some researchers associate the origin of the name “White Rus'” with the word “white” meaning “independent, free”, others - with the appearance of the population of the northern part of Rus', the predominant color of clothing in the same region, or even with the white color that predominated in the decoration of the main buildings in cities of the Vladimir-Suzdal land.
Ancient times
Man lived on the territory of modern Belarus about 100 thousand years ago. Traces of primitive sites 27-24 thousand years ago have been found. These lands were completely populated about 10-8 thousand years ago. According to one of the most common hypotheses, in the 3rd millennium BC. e. Indo-Europeans began to penetrate into the territory of modern Belarus, i.e. ancestors of future Baltoslavic tribes. Scientists have not reached a consensus regarding the time of separation of the Slavs from the Baltoslavic community. IN historical literature East Slavic unions of the Dregovichi, Krivichi and Radimichi tribes, settled in the second half of the 1st millennium AD. on the territory of modern Belarus, are considered parts Old Russian people. The issue of the ethnogenesis of Belarusians and their separation from the East Slavic massif is debatable. Sometimes there are statements that the Belarusian ethnic group began to take shape already in the 8th-9th centuries. n. e. on the basis of the Slavic ethnic communities of the Dregovichi (occupied the territory of modern Central Belarus), the Krivichi (the upper and middle reaches of the Western Dvina and the upper reaches of the Dnieper), the Radimichi (the Sozh River basin) and a number of Eastern Baltic tribes. However, this does not explain why the territories of the Krichivich and Radimichi tribal unions were “divided” between Belarusians and Russians. Also, the territories of a number of principalities of the 11th-13th centuries were “divided” between various modern East Slavic ethnic groups. More convincing is the formation of the Belarusian ethnic group and the Belarusian language in the Western Russian linguistic community as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and - since 1569 - as part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Ancient Rus'
In the 8th-9th centuries, the development of agriculture and crafts contributed to the formation of feudal relations, the expansion of trade, and the emergence of cities. The most ancient of them were Polotsk and Turov.
In the 10th-11th centuries, almost all East Slavic tribal unions were united within the framework of the Dnevnerussian state - Kievan Rus. The most famous feudal state formations on the territory of modern Belarus are the Polotsk, Turov, Galicia-Volyn and Smolensk principalities.
The Principality of Polotsk periodically fell under the rule of Kyiv, but soon became virtually an independent state with all the corresponding attributes - the sovereign power of the prince, administration, capital, army, monetary system etc. At the same time, the principality itself expanded its influence towards the Baltic Sea, subjugating a number of Baltic tribes.
The question of the legality of considering the Principality of Polotsk as part of the Day Russian State is disputed by a number of Belarusian historians. At the same time, it is believed that the first centers of consolidation of East Slavic tribal unions, where princely dynasties were born, were not only Polyan Kyiv and Slovenian Novgorod, but also Krivitsky Polotsk. The Polotsk princely dynasty throughout its 400-year history had two names - Rogvolodovich (X - XI centuries) and Vseslavich (XII - XIII centuries), which trace their origins to the Rurikovichs.
New cities gradually emerge - Berestye (Brest), Vitebsk, Minsk (first mentioned in 1067), Pinsk, Borisov, Orsha, etc. The cities become political, economic and cultural centers lands.
At the end of the 10th century Ancient Rus' Christianity was adopted Byzantine rite, writing and education began to spread. The adoption of Christianity in the Principality of Polotsk is proof that it was then part of the Old Russian state.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
In the 13th century, the Lithuanian prince Mindovg united part of the Lithuanian and East Slavic lands under his rule and thereby created one of the largest states medieval Europe- Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Since the middle of the 16th century, the official written language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, along with Latin, was the so-called. Western Russian written language (also called Old Belarusian, Old Ukrainian, Russian, Ruthenian, etc.).
In the Middle Ages, Belarusian lands were an integral part of pan-European cultural processes. Thanks to the achievements of past centuries, rich folk culture and beneficial influence humanistic ideas European Renaissance, the 15th-17th centuries became the “Golden Age” of Belarusian culture.
In the Western Russian written language, the enlightener Francis Skaryna (bel. Francishak Skaryna) from Polotsk in 1517-1525. published the first Eastern Slavs books (Bible translations). The sets of legal documents - II and III statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - were a classic example of formalized feudal law in medieval Europe. The territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was called in those days a country of cities and castles.
In the middle of the 16th century, the Belarusian lands as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were affected by the process of the Reformation. Protestant communities arose in Nesvizh, Berestye, Kletsk and dozens of other cities, famous figures Reformations in Belarus were initiated by Symon Budny, Vasil Tsiapinski, Nikolai Radziwill Cherny and others.
Finding yourself in difficult conditions Livonian War(Ivan the Terrible was captured The largest city ON Polotsk), ON decided to find an ally in the Kingdom of Poland. But due to disagreements, the parties could not reach a consensus for a long time; then the Polish state annexed most of the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which brought Lithuanian statehood to the brink of destruction. That. in 1569, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland united on a federal basis in the so-called. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth of Both Nations.
The Brest Church Union of 1596 subordinated the Belarusian Orthodox Church to the Pope, but this caused discontent among part of the local Orthodox gentry. Serfdom is spreading on Belarusian lands, and Catholicism is being introduced. The Lithuanian-Belarusian aristocracy is becoming Polonized for the most part, and a cultural, linguistic and religious gap is emerging between the higher and lower strata of society. During the war of 1654-1667. many Orthodox residents of Belarus, including nobles, chose to migrate to the territory of the Russian state.
For centuries, the Belarusian lands were the scene of bloody wars, accompanied by famine, epidemics and mass migrations of the population. Thus, during the war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which included the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Moscow State in 1654-1667. Belarus lost almost half of its inhabitants [source?]. The devastating Northern War of 1700-1721. cost Belarus about a third of its population. After this war, the largest Belarusian cities lay in ruins, in some regions urban population was almost completely destroyed
As part of the Russian Empire
At the end of the 18th century, as a result of three divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1772, 1793, 1795), almost the entire territory of modern Belarus became part of the Russian Empire.
In Poland in 1794 there was a national liberation uprising (under the leadership of Tadeusz Kosciuszko), which was suppressed by Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov. In 1807 to Russian Empire Another part of the Belarusian lands withdrew along with the city of Bialystok. In 1812, the northern and western regions of Belarus suffered greatly during Napoleon's invasion, many people died. Since the local Catholic Polish-Lithuanian gentry was disloyal to To the Russian state, the authorities in the first half of the 19th century took a number of steps to alleviate the plight of the peasants.
In 1863-1864, on the territory of modern Poland and Lithuania, as well as part of Belarus, under the leadership of Kastus Kalinowski, an anti-Russian uprising took place under the slogans of restoring the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth within the borders of 1772. The uprising was suppressed by harsh measures taken by the Vilna Governor-General M.A. Muravyov with the help of Belarusian peasant detachments.
The reforms of the 1860-1870s accelerated the socio-economic development of Belarus and contributed to the formation of capitalism.
The revolutionary wave of the early twentieth century contributed to the rise of a new wave of the Belarusian national movement.
First world war(1914-1918) the territory of Belarus again became the arena of bloody hostilities: in 1915, Germany occupied its western lands, and from March 1918 - almost the entire territory.
Belarus during Civil War. Proclamation of the BPR
On March 25, 1918, representatives of national parties and movements under the German occupation announced the creation of an independent Belarusian People's Republic (BPR). After the departure of the Germans, the territory was occupied by the Red Army, the government of the BPR was forced to emigrate and on January 1, 1919, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus (later renamed the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic) was proclaimed in Smolensk, which, after a short period of “Litbela” (Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic; February-August 1919) became part of the USSR in December 1922.
In February 1919, Polish troops invaded Belarus. On August 8, Polish troops occupied Minsk, which was recaptured by the Red Army only in July of the following year.
According to the results of the Riga Peace Treaty of 1921, the territories of Western Belarus, located east of the Curzon Line, with a predominant Belarusian population, ceded to Poland.
Belarus in the 20-30s
In the 1920-1930s. Industrialization processes were actively underway in Soviet Belarus, and new branches of industry and agriculture were formed. In 1924-1926, Belarus was given a number of territories that had previously been part of the RSFSR. During the language reform of 1933, the “tarashkevitsa” was abandoned - more than 30 phonetic and morphological features were introduced into the Belarusian language. Soviet Belarus, which had four official languages (Belarusian, Russian, Polish and Yiddish), differed sharply in this regard from Poland, which pursued a strict ethnocratic policy.
In the territory of Western Belarus, annexed by Poland, the Polish government did not comply with the provisions of the Treaty of Riga on equal rights for all ethnic groups. Only until March 1923, of the 400 existing Belarusian schools, almost all were closed, with the exception of 37. At the same time, 3,380 Polish schools were opened in Western Belarus. In 1938-1939 there were only 5 general education Belarusian schools left. 1,300 Orthodox churches were converted to Catholic, often with violence.
After the establishment of the authoritarian “sanation” regime in Poland, there was an increasing infringement of the cultural rights of national minorities. Since 1934, in the city of Bereza-Kartuzskaya (now Bereza, Brest region), a Polish concentration camp operated as a place of extrajudicial internment of opponents of the ruling regime. According to the Encyclopedia of the History of Belarus, in the period 1921-39, about 300 thousand “siege” colonists, as well as Polish officials of various categories, were resettled from ethnic Polish lands to western Belarus. Estates belonging to persons “hostile to Poland” and state lands were transferred to the besiegers.
During the Stalinist repressions, hundreds of thousands of representatives of the intelligentsia, the cultural and creative elite, and wealthy peasants were shot and exiled to Siberia and Central Asia. Of the 540-570 writers publishing in Belarus in the 1920-1930s of the twentieth century, at least 440-460 (80%) were repressed, and if we take into account the authors forced to leave their homeland, then at least 500 (90%) were subjected to repression. a quarter of the total number of writers (2000) repressed in the USSR. The number of people who passed through the camps is estimated at approximately 600-700 thousand people, and those shot - at least 300 thousand people.
The Second World War
As a result of the invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union in September 1939, Western Belarus was occupied by Soviet troops and annexed to the BSSR. Part of the territory, together with the city of Vilna, was transferred to Lithuania in October 1939.
Repressions were carried out in Western Belarus. In the Baranovichi region alone, from October 1939 to June 29, 1940, according to the most conservative estimates, more than 29 thousand people were repressed; During the occupation, approximately the same number (33 thousand 733 people) would be taken by the Germans for forced labor in Germany.
At the beginning of the war between Germany and the USSR (1941-1945), the territory of Belarus was occupied by German troops. The territory of Belarus was declared a general district within the Reichskommissariat Ostland. In December 1943, a collaborationist government, the Belarusian Central Rada, was created, which had mainly advisory functions.
The partisan movement, which spread widely in Belarus, became an important factor that forced the Nazis to keep a significant contingent here and contributed to the speedy liberation of Belarus. In 1944, there were a total of 373,942 people in partisan detachments on the territory of Belarus. Eastern regions of Belarus were liberated Soviet army in the fall of 1943, and the entire republic in the summer of 1944 during Operation Bagration.
On the territory of Belarus, the German occupiers created 260 concentration camps, in which about 1.4 million civilians and Soviet prisoners of war were killed.
The Nazis transported 399 thousand 374 people from the territory of Belarus to work in Germany.
According to the Khatyn memorial complex, the Germans and collaborators carried out more than 140 major punitive operations in Belarus; the population of areas suspected of supporting partisans was destroyed and taken to death camps or for forced labor in Germany. Of the 9,200 settlements destroyed and burned by the German occupiers and collaborators in Belarus, over 5,295 were destroyed along with all or part of the population. According to other data, the number of settlements destroyed during punitive operations is 628.
During the war years, Belarus lost about a third of its population (34% of the pre-war population of the country within its current borders - 3 million people), the country lost more than half of its national wealth. 209 cities, towns, regional centers and more than 9 thousand villages were completely or partially destroyed.
Post-war time
In 1945, after the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was a founding member of the United Nations. On June 26, 1945, K.V. Kiselyov, at the head of the delegation of the Byelorussian SSR, signed the UN Charter, which was ratified by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the BSSR on August 30, 1945. In November-December 1945, the Belarusian delegation took part in the work of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations General Assembly in London, at which the head of the delegation of the Belarusian SSR, K.V. Kiselev, was elected vice-chairman of the fourth committee.
After World War II, Bialystok was transferred to Poland; in subsequent years, several more border areas of Poland were transferred people's republic and the Lithuanian SSR.
In the 1950-1970s. The restoration of the country proceeded at a rapid pace, industry and agriculture developed intensively. The economy of Belarus was a key part of the national economic complex of the USSR; Belarus was called the “assembly shop” of the Soviet economy.
Collapse of the USSR
Political processes of the late 1980s - early 1990s. led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the communist system. On July 27, 1990, the Supreme Council of the BSSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty. On September 19, 1991, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) was renamed the Republic of Belarus. It should be noted that on March 17, 1991, at the all-Union referendum on the preservation of the USSR, 82.7% of those who took part in the vote (83.3% of those included in the voting lists took part) were in favor of preserving the USSR, which indicated the lack of desire of the inhabitants of Belarus to separation from the union.
In December 1991, as a result of the Belovezhskaya Accords, Belarus entered the Commonwealth of Independent States.
On March 15, 1994, the Supreme Council adopted the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, according to which it was declared a unitary democratic social state based on the rule of law. In accordance with the Constitution, the Republic of Belarus is a presidential republic.
Modern Belarus
In July 1994, presidential elections took place. As a result of popular voting, Alexander Lukashenko was elected the first President of Belarus
The BSSR is the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, one of the 16 republics that were part of the USSR. After the collapse of the USSR, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic of the BSSR became the city of Minsk, which was one of the largest and most populous cities of the Soviet Union. In addition, in the BSSR it is necessary to distinguish 6 regions, 117 districts in rural areas, 98 cities, as well as 111 urban-type settlements.
The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic existed for a long time. The flag was presented various options throughout its entire history. These options are presented in the article.
It is interesting that when the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic existed, the coat of arms remained almost unchanged.
History of education
Between such states as Poland, the Lithuanian SSR, the Latvian SSR, the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, after the revolution the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was created. Its territory totaled about 207,600 km 2. Initially, the BSSR belonged to the RSFSR and only two years later it became an independent republic. Immediately after the separation, the BSSR united with the Lithuanian Soviet Republic and the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, or, as it was also called, the LitBel SSR, was formed, but only for a year and a half. The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic of 1919 was actually part of a larger republic. The Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic consisted of two. The Moscow-Lithuania Treaty, which was signed on July 12, 1920, was an omen of the collapse of the LitBel SSR. And already on July 31, the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic completely collapsed. Thus, the BSSR was created in 1919, then became part of a larger association, after which, from 1920 to 1991, it existed in its previous status and became an independent state.
Economic characteristics
In 1980, 4.3 billion rubles were invested in the BSSR for the development of industry, economy and infrastructure. The most developed industries of this state are the chemical, petrochemical and food industries. Rapid economic growth (from 1940 to 1980) was achieved due to abundant investment and labor of the Belarusian people. People who lived in the republic after the war rebuilt cities, many of which, one might say, were built anew, established production and increased production volume by as much as 29 times in just 40 years. The BSSR, as well as the Republic of Belarus, was and is provided with fuel using its abundant reserves of natural gas, oil, coal and peat. Rich mineral deposits were also developed and developed with the help of USSR investments. Length railways in the BSSR in 1982 there were as many as 5,513 km, and roads for vehicles - 36,700 km.
Population
The BSSR was one of the most densely populated parts of the Soviet Union; in 1984, the population density was 47.6 people per 1 km 2. The uniform population of the republic is determined by relatively equal population throughout its entire territory. However, the center of the country was the most populated, which can be explained by the location of large cities here, including Minsk. Between 1950 and 1970, the urban population increased faster than average according to the USSR.
Nature of the BSSR
The republic is located on the East European Plain, occupying the basin of the middle Dnieper, as well as the western Dvina and Neman in its upper reaches. The predominant type of surface is flat. However, the area is characterized by an alternation of highlands and lowlands, which are heavily swamped in places; in addition, there were a large number of lakes on the territory of the BSSR. The Quaternary glaciation determines this relief feature. In the northwestern part of the state there is the whole system of course moraine ridges. There are highlands in the northeast.
Relief
In the direction from west to east, on the territory of the former BSSR, the Belarusian ridge stretches, which consists of separate parts, hills formed during the Moscow glaciation. Parallel to it there are periglacial plains. Belarusian Polesie, located in the south of the state, is called special case plains. Hills and ridges also appear in the south, next to the Belarusian Polesie.
Climate
The BSSR was in temperate zone, from which it follows that the climate is temperate continental. The temperature in January is about -4 °C, however, due to the relatively large extent from north to south, this value may vary. average temperature July - about 17 °C, but for the same reason the value cannot be accurate for absolutely all areas of the country. The climate is continental, which means there is little precipitation - 550-700 mm.
Rivers
The BSSR had a large number of rivers, both small and large in length. Their total length is considered to be 90,600 km. They all belong to the pool Atlantic Ocean, namely to the Black and Baltic seas. Some rivers are used for transportation. The BSSR was very rich in forests, which occupied 1/3 of the entire territory, swamp vegetation and shrubs were located on 1/10 of the territory.
The territory of the BSSR was not on the edge of the East European Plate, which means that seismological activity could not be strong, the most powerful earthquakes did not reach even magnitude 5.
Minerals of the BSSR
The most important mineral resources, which are still located on the territory of Belarus in large quantities, we can name gas, oil, coal and various salts.
The region of the northern part of the Pripyat trough is very rich in oil and gas. Distinctive feature oil deposits are massive and arranged in layers. Natural gas is not represented in large volumes, and therefore is mined as a by-product.
and slates
Also, huge reserves of brown coal were discovered on the territory of the BSSR. Peat is represented by 39 species. It is one of the main types of fuel in Belarus. As many as 7,000 coal deposits, total area which is about 2.5 million hectares, simply cannot but be used. The total amount of peat is 1.1 billion tons, these are truly rich reserves.
In addition, in the BSSR they began to mine oil shale, which, according to geologists, is located at a depth of up to 600 m. Huge reserves of shale are as actively used as fuel.
Salts
Potassium and rock salts are mining chemical raw materials. The thickness of the layers is 1-40 m. They lie under carbonate-clayey rocks. Reserves of potassium salts amount to about 7.8 billion tons. They are mined at various deposits, for example at Starobinsky and Petrikovsky. Rock salts are represented by 20 billion tons, they lie at a depth of up to 750 meters. They are mined at such deposits as Davydovskoye and Mozyrskoye. In addition, the BSSR was rich in phosphorites.
Building breeds
The territory of Belarus also has rich reserves of building and facing stones, chalk rocks, clays and construction sands. Reserves of building stone are about 457 million m3, and of facing stone - about 4.6 million m3. Richest in building stones southern regions Belarus. Dolomites, on the contrary, come to the surface in the north. Their reserves are about 437.8 million tons. The BSSR was also rich in Cretaceous rocks, the reserves of which today amount to about 3679 million tons. Clay various types are represented on the territory of Belarus with reserves of 587 million m 3, they are located mostly in the Minsk, Grodno, Gomel and Vitebsk regions.
Development of mineral resources
On the territory of the BSSR, as already mentioned, mineral resources were actively mined. Their development began 30,000 years ago, during the Late Paleolithic era. At that time, people living in this area mined flint from the surface of the earth. About 4,500 thousand years ago, flint mining was already developed. A large number of mines have been discovered that were used back in the Cretaceous periods. Their depth is no more than 6 meters, however, given the time of their origin, we can assume that flint mining was very developed among the inhabitants of these areas. There were also entire complexes of mines connected by passages, usually up to 5.
Production development
Ancient needles were found in the mines, which were intended for sewing bags necessary for transporting the mined mineral. Material was processed near the exit. Flint was used to make axes. Already in the fifth century BC. The development of metal deposits began, from which people living on the territory of Belarus created household items and weapons. In addition, dishes were made from clays for various needs. Already in the 16th century, glass factories began to appear, and in the 18th the first manufactories appeared in this area.
Peat extraction
Peat extraction in the BSSR became an independent industry. Volumes have steadily increased due to increased usage. Peat enterprises appeared, which strengthened the industry. But during the Second World War, almost all of them were destroyed. Only by 1949 the volume of extracted peat reached its previous values.
Salt mining
As already mentioned, potassium and rock salts are found in large quantities on the territory of Belarus. But only in 1961 their active mining began. An underground mining method was used. The richest of them is Starobinskoye. The mechanization of most mining led to an increase in salt volume by 60% in 1965 and 98% in 1980.
Subsoil protection
Mineral resources were actively mined in the BSSR; it is easy to guess that this greatly influenced environment. Vast areas were badly damaged. Therefore, recreational activities began to be carried out aimed at enriching the subsoil and restoring resources, for example, fertilizing the soil and planting trees.
Education of industrial specialists
The Belarusian Polytechnic Institute, founded in the BSSR, trains personnel to work in the mining industry. It was founded in 1933 in Minsk. Already in 1969, there were as many as 12 faculties. There are also other educational institutions. Technical schools still provide education in the development of peat deposits, underground processing of ores and nonmetallic minerals, and in other industries.
Arena of Confrontation
In 1920, the BSSR, one might say, was the center of confrontation between bourgeois Europe and the USSR. The latter side wanted to retain power in Poland; the interests of the Soviet Union were represented by a delegation from the RSFSR. The decision was not made in favor of the BSSR. The resolution did not allow for the expansion of Belarus at the expense of Poland.
The socialists of the BSSR were dissatisfied with the location of the borders with their neighbors, namely the RSFSR and Poland. They believed that boundaries should not be established on ethnographic grounds. There was no unity on the problems of the territory.
The Great Patriotic War
During the Second World War, the BSSR and Ukrainian SSR suffered more than other parts of the Soviet Union. More than 2 million people died in the BSSR, and about 380 thousand were taken out of the country. The population size that lived before the war was reached only by 1971. Hitler's occupiers destroyed 209 cities and regional centers, many of which had to be rebuilt, only 2.8 million square meters housing stock survived from almost 10.8.
Gaining independence and interesting facts
In 1990, the Declaration on the BSSR was signed, which meant its imminent separation. On September 19, 1991, it became officially known as the Republic of Belarus. In the same year, an agreement on the creation of the CIS was created and signed. The association included Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus. Interesting fact in the history of this state it can be said that for 46 years this republic, like the Ukrainian SSR, was one of the members of the UN (United Nations), although it remained a dependent state - the BSSR. In the 1920-1930s, constitutionalism developed in the republic.