Belarusian People's Republic: proclamation and history

The Belarusian People's Republic was the first attempt to create its own statehood among the people of the East Slavic branch - the Belarusians. How successful was this experience, and what was the reason for the fragility of the existence of this education? Let's follow the stages of the emergence, development and death of the Belarusian People's Republic.

Background of the BNR

After the overthrow of the autocracy in the Russian Empire in February 1917, the political struggle was noticeably aggravated not only in the capital city of Petrograd, but also on the outskirts of the country where national forces were awakening. This fate did not bypass the Belarusian provinces, the situation in which complicated the proximity of the Russian-German front. After the Bolshevik revolution in October of the same year, the situation worsened even more.

In November in the largest city of Belarus - Minsk - there were congresses of workers 'and soldiers' deputies. At the same time, a meeting of Belarusian national organizations was held, which formed the goal of establishing autonomy within the Russian state. At the same time the Great Belarusian Rada was formed. In December 1917, under the auspices of this organization, the First All-Belarusian Congress was held. But the Bolsheviks not only did not take part in it, but they also dispersed this meeting by force.

The situation changed dramatically after the signing in March 1918 of a peace treaty in Brest between Soviet Russia and the German Empire. This agreement presupposed the occupation of most of the Belarusian lands by German troops. This event prepared the proclamation of the Belarusian People's Republic.

Proclamation of BNR

On March 9, the Belarusian People's Republic proclaimed its state. This was done by the Executive Committee of the All-Belarusian Congress. At the same time, it was pointed out that the BNR extended its sovereignty to all historical Belarusian lands and regions populated by ethnic Belarusians. But the clear boundaries of the territory, which claimed the Belarusian People's Republic, were not specified. Also, the status of the new education was not defined - a completely independent state or an autonomy within Russia.

On the same day the head of the Presidium of the Great Belarussian Council was elected. He was a representative of the Belarusian socialist community Yanka Sereda.

On March 25, the final stage was completed, which completed the stage of the proclamation of state education of the Belarusian People's Republic. The definition of its status was clearly formulated. The Charter of the Belarusian Rada proclaimed the BNR an independent state. At the same time, the borders of the territory on which the young republic had claims were established.

BNR is a state without statehood

But for a number of reasons, the Belarusian People's Republic (1918) was never able to get a real statehood. Not the least role was played in this by the ambivalent attitude of the German authorities, who in fact controlled the territory of the country at that time. On the one hand, they did not prohibit the activities of the BNR, but on the other - they did not officially recognize the republic, since this would contradict the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Soviet Russia. Other countries also did not hurry with the recognition of the young state.

In fact, the Belarusian People's Republic did not control the territory it was claiming, because it was under German occupation, did not have fiscal instruments in the form of tax collection, did not have a police apparatus, did not have time to adopt the constitution. Most of the decrees and decisions of the BNR authorities were purely declarative. Thus, the Belarusian language was recognized as the state language, and Minsk as the capital.

At the same time, the BNR had a number of state attributes. There was a stamp of its own with the depiction of the historical coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - "Pursuit", the flag, in the form of a red and white bicolor, there were institutes of citizenship, legislative and executive power. Even an attempt was made to form their own armed forces, however, unsuccessful.

The fall of the BNR

Problems in building their own statehood caused a split in the leading party of the BNR - the Belarusian Socialist community. But the beginning of the end of the republic, which did not manage to be fully formed, can be considered the surrender of the German army in the First World War and the withdrawal of troops from the territory of the country in accordance with the peace treaty at Versailles. After that, the future fate of the BNR was predetermined, so the government decided to move from Minsk to Grodno.

On the territory of the Smolensk region in January 1919 , Soviet Russia created a puppet state - the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus, which was recognized by the Bolsheviks as the only legitimate state. With the help of the Red Army, it quickly spread its influence to all Belarusian lands, excluding the city of Grodno, which was captured by the Poles.

However, with the help of the Poles who occupied Minsk during the Soviet-Polish war, in August 1919 the BNR government was able to return to its capital, but in December the Red Army managed to restore the power of the Bolsheviks in the Belarusian lands.

The Belarusian Rada was forced to finally emigrate from the country first to Poland, and then to Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, Germany, the United States.

The further destiny

Never again the BNR government returned to the territory of Belarus. And even in emigration, this organization was subjected to numerous schisms because of the discrepancies in the views of its leaders. So, one part of the Belarusian Rada in 1925 even committed its powers to the Byelorussian Socialist Soviet Republic. True, the second part sharply condemned her for it.

The BNR government in exile still exists, and it does not recognize the Republic of Belarus that was formed after the collapse of the USSR, although it originally had such an intention. But after the arrival of President Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus, the Rada refused the original plan.

Attributes BNR are still a symbol of the Belarusian opposition.

The reasons for the collapse of the BNR

Why, after all, did not the state of the Belarusian People's Republic take place? The emergence and fate of this short-lived education is very similar to the history of other similar republics that arose on the shards of the Russian Empire. The main reasons for the collapse of the Belarusian statehood at that time were:

• A split in the national movement;
• Weak support among the local population;
• Non-recognition of the BPR by other countries of the world;
• Intervention of the Bolsheviks.

The totality of these factors predetermined the fate of the Belarusian People's Republic.