Belarusian national movement in Рoland: from Riga peace to defeat Hromada

• Main Author: G. G. Dedurin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Publishing House "Grani" 2014-08-01
• Series: Granì
• Subjects: Західна Білорусь; національний рух; Громада; національна самосвідомість; ІІ Річ Посполита; комуністи
• Online Access: https://grani.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/728

The first half of 1920 proved to be an extremely important period in the development of the Belarusian national movement. At that time it became the center of the earth Western Belarus, which, under the terms of the Riga peace treaty, since 1921 been part of Poland. The leaders of the movement (B. Tarashkevych, A. Stankiewicz, A. Lutskevich) tried to adapt the requirements of Belarusian environment to the new environment, but the arrogant attitude of the Polish authorities to Belarusian minorities, forcing them to find other ways. In the middle of the decade there was an artificial division of the national movement in three movements – the national-democratic, pro-Polish and pro-Soviet. Among all Belarusian organizations greatest success achieved Belarusian Peasant-Workers Community, which was the first really popular national party. Leaders of party in their program were able to combine both requirements of socio-economic and slogans that advocated national and cultural rights of Belarusians. But because of the increasing impacts on the community from the communist underground, its existence was not long. The defeat gave rise Communities Polish authorities to begin large-scale repression against activists of the Belarusian movement that significantly undermined his ability and not allowed to become widespread.