In the 5th century A.D., Belarus (also known as White Russia) was colonized by east Slavic tribes. Kiev dominated it from the 9th to 12th century. After the destruction of Kiev by the Mongols in the 13th century, the territory was conquered by the dukes of Lithuania, although it retained a degree of autonomy.
At this time, trade was controlled by Poles and Jews, and most Belarusians remained peasants " poor and illiterate. After the Partitions of Poland (1772, 1793 and 1795"96), Belarus was absorbed into Russia and faced intense Russification policies. During the 19th century, Belarus was part of the Pale of Settlement, the area where Jews in the Russian Empire were required to settle, so Jews formed the majority in many cities and towns.
The Republic of Belarus declared its independence from the USSR on Aug. 25, 1991. The reform-minded Stanislav Shushkevich became head of state and, along with Russia and Ukraine, Belarus was one of the original signatories to the treaty establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The Republic of Belarus declared its independence from the USSR on Aug. 25, 1991. The reform-minded Stanislav Shushkevich became head of state and, along with Russia and Ukraine, Belarus was one of the original signatories to the treaty establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
In 1939, the Soviet Union took back West Belarus from Poland under the secret protocol of the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact and incorporated it into the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Occupied by the Nazis in World War II, Belarus was one of the war's most devastated battlefields.
This design replaced the historical white-red-white flag used by the Belarusian People's Republic of 1918, before Belarus became the Soviet Republic, and again after it regained its independence in 1991. Opposition groups have continued to use this flag though its display in Belarus has been restricted by the government of Belarus, which claims it was linked to Nazi collaboration during the Second World War.
At this time, trade was controlled by Poles and Jews, and most Belarusians remained peasants " poor and illiterate. After the Partitions of Poland (1772, 1793 and 1795"96), Belarus was absorbed into Russia and faced intense Russification policies. During the 19th century, Belarus was part of the Pale of Settlement, the area where Jews in the Russian Empire were required to settle, so Jews formed the majority in many cities and towns.
The Republic of Belarus declared its independence from the USSR on Aug. 25, 1991. The reform-minded Stanislav Shushkevich became head of state and, along with Russia and Ukraine, Belarus was one of the original signatories to the treaty establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The Republic of Belarus declared its independence from the USSR on Aug. 25, 1991. The reform-minded Stanislav Shushkevich became head of state and, along with Russia and Ukraine, Belarus was one of the original signatories to the treaty establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
In 1939, the Soviet Union took back West Belarus from Poland under the secret protocol of the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact and incorporated it into the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Occupied by the Nazis in World War II, Belarus was one of the war's most devastated battlefields.
This design replaced the historical white-red-white flag used by the Belarusian People's Republic of 1918, before Belarus became the Soviet Republic, and again after it regained its independence in 1991. Opposition groups have continued to use this flag though its display in Belarus has been restricted by the government of Belarus, which claims it was linked to Nazi collaboration during the Second World War.
No comments:
Post a Comment