Belarusian People’s Republic
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The Belarusian People's Republic (Belarusian: Белару́ская Наро́дная Рэспу́бліка, IPA: [bʲeɫaˈruskaja naˈrodnaja rɛsˈpublʲika], translit. : Belaruskaya Narodnaya Respublika) was an independent Belarusian state, which declared independence in 1918. It is also called the Belarusian National Republic, in order to distinguish it from communist People's Republics, and the current BNR Rada refers to it as Belarusan Democratic Republic. The BNR was recognized by several other countries, but ceased to exist since Belarus was taken under Soviet control and foundation of Belorussian SSR in 1919, though BNR authorities later formed a government in exile.
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[edit] History
The Belarusian People's Republic was declared on March 25, 1918 during World War I, when Belarus was occupied by the Germans according to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
After the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, active discussions started in Belarus about either gaining autonomy within the new democratic Russia or declaration of independence. Representatives of most Belarusian regions and of different (mostly left-wing) political powers, including the Belarusian Socialist Assembly, the Christian democratic movement and the General Jewish Labour Union, formed a Belarusian national council in late 1917. The Council started working on establishment of Belarusian governmental institutions. Both Bolsheviks and Germans did not recognize it and interfered in its activity.
Parallel with negotiations that started between the Germans and Bolsheviks, the Belarusian Council started actively demanding recognition of an autonomous status for Belarus, with continuing internal discussions on whether it should be an autonomy within Russia or national independence.
In its First Constituent Charter passed on February 21, 1918 the Belarusian Council declared itself the only legitimate power on the territory of Belarus. On March 9, following signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Germans and Bolsheviks, the Belarusian Council issued a Second Charter where it declared establishment of the Belarusian People's Republic. The Belarusian Council was declared provisional government of Belarus and renamed to the Council of the Belarusian People's Republic.
On March 25, 1918 the Council issued a third charter declaring independence of Belarus.
[edit] Territory
In its Third Constituent Charter, the following territories were claimed for BNR: Mogilev Governorate (province), as well as Belarusian parts of Minsk Governorate, Grodno Governorate (including Białystok), Vilna Governorate, Vitebsk Governorate, and Smolensk Governorate, and parts of bordering governorates populated by Belarusians, rejecting the then split of the Belarusian lands between Germany and Russia.[1] The areas were claimed because of a Belarusian majority according to demographic research, although there were also numbers of Lithuanians, Poles and people speaking pidgins of Belarusian, Lithuanian and Polish, as well as many Jews, mostly in towns and cities (in some towns they made up a majority). Some of the Jews spoke Russian as their native tongue; others spoke Yiddish.
[edit] Military
There were attempts to create regular armed forces of the newly established Belarusian republic[2].
General Stanislau Bulak-Balakhovich supported the Government of BNR and openly positioned his army as a Belarusian national army. However, he ignored orders of the Belarusian Government, cooperated with White Russian military leaders that opposed the idea of Belarus' independence and had ambitions to become dictator of Belarus, therefore the Rada BNR had mostly a negative attitude towards Bulak-Balakhovich.
The major military action of the Belarusian People's Republic army was the Slutsk defence action in late 1920. The Council of the BNR, based at that time in Lithuania, sent officers to help organize armed anti-Bolshevik resistance in the town Slutsk. The Belarusian army managed to resist a month against larger powers of the Red Army.
[edit] Impact
The Germans saw an independent Belarus as part of implementation of their plan for buffer states within Mitteleuropa. Being surrounded by more powerful neighbors and having no allies, the BNR lost its independence very fast and did not become a real state with a constitution, definite territoriality, etc.
However, many modern Belarusian historians suggest that creation of the Belarusian People's Republic was the reason for Bolsheviks creating the puppet Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic and allowing some elements of national cultural life in the 1920s.
[edit] Exile
After the German army retreated from the territory of Belarus and the Red Army started moving in to establish the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus, in December 1918, the Rada (Council) of the BNR moved to Hrodna, which was the centre of a semi-autonomous Belarusian region within the Lithuanian Republic.[2] During the subsequent 1919 Polish invasion, the Rada went into exile and facilitated an anticommunist struggle within the country during the 1920s.
It was officially recognized as representative of Belarus by Germany, Austria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey[3].
During World War II, the Belarusian government-in-exile refused to cooperate with the pro-German puppet government Belarusian Central Rada. After the war, when many BCR leaders and supporters emigrated from Belarus, tensions between pro-BNR and pro-BCR parties of the Belarusian diaspora remained.
Similar governments-in-exile of the neighboring countries (Lithuania, Poland and others) handed back their symbolic "authorities" to the corresponding independent governments in the 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The BNR council has not done this because it views the current Belarusian government of president Alexander Lukashenka as an anti-Belarusian, anti-independence, and an anti-democratic power. [4]
[edit] Current state
The exiled government still exists and attempts to lobby interests of the Belarusian diaspora in countries where it has its representatives: USA, Canada, Great Britain, Estonia and others. It also makes regular statements about the current political situation in Belarus strongly opposing the rule of president Lukashenka. The Rada became a consolidating center for some exiled Belarusian opposition politicians like Zianon Pazniak.
[edit] Presidents
Chairmans of the Council of BNR:
- Jan Sierada (1918–1919)
- Piotra Krečeŭski (1919–1928)
- Vasil Zacharka (1928–1943)
- Mikoła Abramčyk (1944–1970)
- Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič (1970–1982)
- Jazep Sažyč (1982–1997)
- Ivonka Survilla (1997–present)
[edit] Symbols
A national flag of three stripes — white-red-white — was adopted, as well as a state seal (Pahonia), which was based on an emblem of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
 Postage stamp of BNR. 10 hr. |
 Postage stamp of BNR. 25 hr. |
[edit] Archives
In 1998, Belarusian linguist and translator Siarhiej Shupa published a two-volume collection of BNR archives (Архівы Беларускай Народнай Рэспублікі. Менск-Вільня-Прага-Нью-Ёрк). The total size of the two volumes is more than 1700 pages. Essentially these are the processed and re-organized documents from the Lithuanian archival fund #582 in Vilnius and they constitute roughly 60% of all the BNR official documents from 1918. Another 20% of BNR official documentation is located in the Minsk archives, and the fate of the remaining 20% is unknown.
[edit] References
- ^ 3rd Constituent Charter of the BNR Rada
- ^ a b Selected Bibliography of works on the struggle for Belarusian Independence 1900-1921 in the Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library in London
- ^ Belarusian Language Society greets nation on forthcoming BNR anniversary
- ^ The March, 20 2006 Memorandum of the BNR Rada
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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