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{{Infobox country|name=Republic of Belarus|native_name=Рэспубліка Беларусь|image_flag=Flag of Belarus.png|government_type=Unitary presidential republic under a [[dictatorship of the bourgeoisie]]|leader_title1=President|leader_name1=[[Aleksandr Lukashenko]]|leader_title2=Prime Minister|leader_name2=[[Roman Golovchenko]]|area_km2=207,600|population_estimate=9,255,524|population_estimate_year=2022|image_coat=Coat of arms of Belarus.svg|capital=Minsk|largest_city=Minsk|mode_of_production=[[Capitalism]]|currency=Belarusian rouble|currency_code=BYN|image_map=Belarus map.png|map_width=310|official_languages=Belarusian<br>Russian}} | |||
In the aftermath of the [[Russian Revolution]] | '''Belarus''', officially the '''Republic of Belarus''', is a landlocked country in [[Eastern Europe]] bordered by [[Russian Federation|Russia]], [[Ukraine]], [[Republic of Poland|Poland]], [[Republic of Lithuania|Lithuania]] and [[Republic of Latvia|Latvia]]. In the aftermath of the [[October Revolution|Russian Revolution in 1917]], different states arose competing for legitimacy, ultimately ending in the rise of the [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (1920–1991)|Byelorussian SSR]], which became a founding constituent republic of the [[Soviet Union]] in 1922. | ||
After the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Belarus declared independence and sought to maintain its | After the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Belarus declared independence and sought to maintain its state-owned economy under president [[Alexander Lukashenko]]. Belarus is relentlessly harassed by the [[Imperialism|imperialist]] [[Imperial core|West]] for refusal to privatize its state assets and embrace the [[Neoliberalism|neoliberal]] world order.<ref>{{News citation|journalist=[[Alan Macleod]]|date=2021-10-12|title=US Writes Belarus into Its Familiar Regime-Change Script|url=https://www.mintpressnews.com/us-writes-belarus-familiar-regime-change-script/278700/|newspaper=[[MintPress News]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|retrieved=}}</ref> | ||
== 2020 | == History == | ||
=== Kievan Rus' === | |||
{{Main article|Kievan Rus' (880–1240)}} | |||
=== Lithuanian rule === | |||
[[Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1236–1795)|Lithuania]] controlled what is now Belarus from the 13th to 18th centuries, and it was part of the [[Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1569–1795)|Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] after 1569.<ref name=":02" /> | |||
=== Russian Rule === | |||
In 1795, [[Russian Empire (1721–1917)|Tsarist Russia]] conquered Belarus during the partition of Poland but Polish [[Landlord|landlords]] and merchants continued to dominate the area.<ref name=":02">{{Citation|author=Albert Szymanski|year=1984|title=Human Rights in the Soviet Union|chapter=The European Nationalities in the USSR|page=85|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceazdmtb2y3qq27fve5ib3gk7uv2unt6ae2xss74xmfpur7k5uhl5m?filename=Albert%20Szymanski%20-%20Human%20Rights%20in%20the%20Soviet%20Union_%20Including%20Comparisons%20with%20the%20U.S.A.-Zed%20Books%20Ltd.%20%281984%29.pdf|city=London|publisher=Zed Books Ltd|isbn=0862320186|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=C597B1232D9EA6B0F3DCB438D7E15A81}}</ref> | |||
=== Soviet republic === | |||
{{Main article|Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (1920–1991)}} | |||
[[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1917–1991)|Soviet Russia]] ceded the western part of Belarus to [[Republic of Poland (1918–1939)|Poland]] in a 1921 peace treaty ending the [[Polish–Soviet War]]. The [[Workers' and Peasants' Red Army|Red Army]] reunified western Belarus with the Belarusian SSR in 1939.<ref name=":02" /> | |||
=== Capitalist era === | |||
In 1991, Soviet Union held a referendum on its preservation and 83% of Belarus's population voted to remain in the USSR.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=Direct Democracy|title=Sowjetunion, 17. März 1991 : Weiterbestand der UdSSR als Föderation gleichberechtigter und souveräner Staaten|date=1991-03-17|url=https://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=su011991|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219124233/https://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=su011991|archive-date=2022-02-19|retrieved=2022-05-10}}</ref> | |||
[[Stanislav Shushkevich]], chairman of the [[Supreme Soviet of Belarus]], signed the [[Belavezha Accords]] in December 1991 along with [[Leonid Kravchuk]] from [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukraine]] and [[Boris Yeltsin]] from [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russia]]. This led to the illegal dissolution of the Soviet Union.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=France 24|title=Ex-Belarus leader Stanislav Shushkevich, who helped dissolve USSR, dies at 87|date=2022-05-04|url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220504-ex-belarus-leader-stanislav-shushkevich-who-helped-dissolve-ussr-dies-at-87|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506182926/https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220504-ex-belarus-leader-stanislav-shushkevich-who-helped-dissolve-ussr-dies-at-87|archive-date=2022-05-06|retrieved=2022-05-10}}</ref> | |||
==== 2020 color revolution attempt ==== | |||
[[File:International Reactions to 2020 Belarus Election.svg|alt=Imperialist Western countries criticized the election, while the socialist and anti-imperialist world congratulated the elected president |thumb|217x217px|Green: Congratulatory remarks to Lukashenko | [[File:International Reactions to 2020 Belarus Election.svg|alt=Imperialist Western countries criticized the election, while the socialist and anti-imperialist world congratulated the elected president |thumb|217x217px|Green: Congratulatory remarks to Lukashenko | ||
| Line 13: | Line 33: | ||
Blue: Belarus ]] | Blue: Belarus ]] | ||
Following the 2020 presidential election where president Lukashenko was re-elected, Western Imperialist observers and their lapdogs criticized the results of the election, while promoting the anti-Lukashenko protestors in | Following the 2020 presidential election where president Lukashenko was re-elected, Western Imperialist observers and their lapdogs criticized the results of the election, while promoting the anti-Lukashenko protestors in a [[United States of America|US]] NGO-supported [[colour revolution]].<ref>Dissident Voice (2020) [https://dissidentvoice.org/2020/08/belarus-a-color-revolution-of-a-different-shade/ Belarus: A Color Revolution of a Different Shade?]</ref><ref>The Moscow Times (2020) [https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/08/06/a-color-revolution-in-belarus-not-yet-a71065 A Color Revolution in Belarus? Not Yet.]</ref><ref>Greanville Post (2020) [https://www.greanvillepost.com/2020/08/15/¶-belarus-this-color-revolution-is-already-dead-the-union-state-has-killed-it/ Belarus – This Color Revolution Is Already Dead. The Union State Has Killed It.]</ref> The protestors were armed with Molotov cocktails<ref name=":1">{{Web citation|author=Nadezhda Sablina|newspaper=[[Red Patriot]]|title=The Struggle for Belarusian Sovereignty: Interview with Belarusian Anti-Imperialist|date=2022-07-19|url=https://redpat.org/2022/07/the-struggle-for-belarusian-sovereignty-interview-with-belarusian-anti-imperialist/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719223632/https://redpat.org/2022/07/the-struggle-for-belarusian-sovereignty-interview-with-belarusian-anti-imperialist/|archive-date=2022-07-19|retrieved=2022-08-31}}</ref> and received over $2.5 million from the [[National Endowment for Democracy|NED]], an arm of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]].<ref>{{Web citation|date=2022-12-21|title=Nobel Peace Prize Winners Have Deep CIA Ties|url=https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/12/21/nobel-peace-prize-winners-have-deep-cia-ties/|newspaper=[[CovertAction Magazine]]|retrieved=2022-12-21|author=[[Jeremy Kuzmarov]]}}</ref> | ||
==== Arrest of terrorist Roman Protasevich ==== | |||
In 2021 the [[Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]] terrorist [[Roman Protasevich]] boarded a flight from [[Hellenic Republic|Greece]] to Lithuania. While the plane crossed over Belarusian airspace, it was ordered to land by state authorities.<ref name=":0">The Grayzone (2021) [https://thegrayzone.com/2021/05/26/belarus-roman-protasevich-plane-nazis-ukraine/ US-funded Belarusian regime-change activist arrested on plane joined neo-Nazis in Ukraine]</ref> Protasevich was a member of the neo-Nazi militant organisations Young Front, Pahonia Detachment, and fought alongside the neo-Nazi militant organisation [[Azov Battalion]].<ref>FOIA research (2021) [https://www.foiaresearch.net/person/roman-protasevich Roman Protasevich]</ref> | |||
The incident triggered a wave of denunciations by Western governments and aggressive [[Economic sanctions|sanctions]] on Belarus, since the US uses these neo-Nazi groups to advance their imperialist aims.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{News citation|journalist=Shane Quinn|date=2019-04-19|title=US and NATO's Ongoing Support for Neo-Nazis in Ukraine|url=https://popularresistance.org/us-and-natos-ongoing-support-for-neo-nazis-in-ukraine/|newspaper=[[Popular Resistance]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|retrieved=}}</ref> | |||
== Politics == | |||
The [[Liberalism|liberal]] Belarusian opposition is led by the [[Belarusian Popular Front]] and the [[United Civil Party]].<ref name=":1" /> | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
<references /> | |||
[[Category:Countries]] | |||
[[Category:Targets of regime change operations]] | |||
[[Category:Countries targeted by imperialist aggression]] | |||
[[Category:European countries]] | |||
[[Category:Anti-imperialist states]] | |||
Latest revision as of 20:47, 30 May 2024
| Republic of Belarus Рэспубліка Беларусь | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Minsk |
| Official languages | Belarusian Russian |
| Dominant mode of production | Capitalism |
| Government | Unitary presidential republic under a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie |
• President | Aleksandr Lukashenko |
• Prime Minister | Roman Golovchenko |
| Area | |
• Total | 207,600 km² |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 9,255,524 |
| Currency | Belarusian rouble (BYN) |
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917, different states arose competing for legitimacy, ultimately ending in the rise of the Byelorussian SSR, which became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence and sought to maintain its state-owned economy under president Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus is relentlessly harassed by the imperialist West for refusal to privatize its state assets and embrace the neoliberal world order.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
Kievan Rus'[edit | edit source]
See main article: Kievan Rus' (880–1240)
Lithuanian rule[edit | edit source]
Lithuania controlled what is now Belarus from the 13th to 18th centuries, and it was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth after 1569.[2]
Russian Rule[edit | edit source]
In 1795, Tsarist Russia conquered Belarus during the partition of Poland but Polish landlords and merchants continued to dominate the area.[2]
Soviet republic[edit | edit source]
See main article: Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (1920–1991)
Soviet Russia ceded the western part of Belarus to Poland in a 1921 peace treaty ending the Polish–Soviet War. The Red Army reunified western Belarus with the Belarusian SSR in 1939.[2]
Capitalist era[edit | edit source]
In 1991, Soviet Union held a referendum on its preservation and 83% of Belarus's population voted to remain in the USSR.[3]
Stanislav Shushkevich, chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, signed the Belavezha Accords in December 1991 along with Leonid Kravchuk from Ukraine and Boris Yeltsin from Russia. This led to the illegal dissolution of the Soviet Union.[4]
2020 color revolution attempt[edit | edit source]
Following the 2020 presidential election where president Lukashenko was re-elected, Western Imperialist observers and their lapdogs criticized the results of the election, while promoting the anti-Lukashenko protestors in a US NGO-supported colour revolution.[5][6][7] The protestors were armed with Molotov cocktails[8] and received over $2.5 million from the NED, an arm of the CIA.[9]
Arrest of terrorist Roman Protasevich[edit | edit source]
In 2021 the neo-Nazi terrorist Roman Protasevich boarded a flight from Greece to Lithuania. While the plane crossed over Belarusian airspace, it was ordered to land by state authorities.[10] Protasevich was a member of the neo-Nazi militant organisations Young Front, Pahonia Detachment, and fought alongside the neo-Nazi militant organisation Azov Battalion.[11]
The incident triggered a wave of denunciations by Western governments and aggressive sanctions on Belarus, since the US uses these neo-Nazi groups to advance their imperialist aims.[10][12]
Politics[edit | edit source]
The liberal Belarusian opposition is led by the Belarusian Popular Front and the United Civil Party.[8]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Alan Macleod (2021-10-12). "US Writes Belarus into Its Familiar Regime-Change Script" MintPress News.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Albert Szymanski (1984). Human Rights in the Soviet Union: 'The European Nationalities in the USSR' (p. 85). [PDF] London: Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 0862320186 [LG]
- ↑ "Sowjetunion, 17. März 1991 : Weiterbestand der UdSSR als Föderation gleichberechtigter und souveräner Staaten" (1991-03-17). Direct Democracy. Archived from the original on 2022-02-19. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ↑ "Ex-Belarus leader Stanislav Shushkevich, who helped dissolve USSR, dies at 87" (2022-05-04). France 24. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ↑ Dissident Voice (2020) Belarus: A Color Revolution of a Different Shade?
- ↑ The Moscow Times (2020) A Color Revolution in Belarus? Not Yet.
- ↑ Greanville Post (2020) Belarus – This Color Revolution Is Already Dead. The Union State Has Killed It.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Nadezhda Sablina (2022-07-19). "The Struggle for Belarusian Sovereignty: Interview with Belarusian Anti-Imperialist" Red Patriot. Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
- ↑ Jeremy Kuzmarov (2022-12-21). "Nobel Peace Prize Winners Have Deep CIA Ties" CovertAction Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Grayzone (2021) US-funded Belarusian regime-change activist arrested on plane joined neo-Nazis in Ukraine
- ↑ FOIA research (2021) Roman Protasevich
- ↑ Shane Quinn (2019-04-19). "US and NATO's Ongoing Support for Neo-Nazis in Ukraine" Popular Resistance.