Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic lasted 72 years. The socialist state of workers and peasants was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Also, the BSSR, as a founding country, was a member of the UN. In addition to the BSSR, the Ukrainian SSR received the same honor. Both - for special merits in the defeat of Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Prehistory of the creation of the Byelorussian SSR

The formation of the statehood of Belarus in the Soviet period has passed a difficult path. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the government of the RSFSR did not consider other options in solving the national question, except for “regionalism”. It was proposed to completely eliminate the former administrative-territorial division and create four regions: Moscow, Western, Northern and Ural. The territories of Belarus and Ukraine (the former Smolensk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Minsk, Chernigov, Vilna and Kovno provinces) according to this plan were part of the Western Region. The same position was held in the regional committee of the Communist Party and the Council of People's Commissars.

The Belarusian Commissariat, which was formed on January 31, 1918, headed by leaders represented by A. Chervyakov and D. Zhilunovich, considered it necessary to establish a separate Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. Belnatsky was supported by the Belarusian sections of the Communist Party, organized from among the Belarusian refugees in Saratov, Petrograd, Moscow and other cities. Then the Belarusian Commissariat launched active work on the development of national culture and statehood.

In March 1918 (under the conditions of German occupation), the Belarusian government announced the creation of the BNR - the Belarusian National Republic. The sovereignty of the BPR, by decision of the leaders of the Republic, extended to the Mogilev region, separate (Belarusian) parts of the Minsk region, Grodno region (together with the cities of Grodno and the Polish Bialystok), Smolensk region, Vitebsk region, Vilensk region, Chernihiv region and small parts of neighboring territories inhabited by Belarusians.

The Belarusian People's Republic did not have time to become a real state. The government had neither its own constitution, nor the sovereignty of the territories that were occupied by the Germans, nor a monopoly on tax collection. The Bolsheviks then declared that the BPR was an attempt by the local bourgeoisie to “tear off” Belarus from Russia, and Germany indicated that this was contrary to the provisions of the Brest peace.

Creation of the Byelorussian SSR

Until December 1918, the governments did not have a definite position on the issue of creating a separate Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. The decision came after a change in the military-political situation. On December 25, Joseph Stalin (then - People's Commissar for Nationalities) in negotiations with D. Zhilunovich and A. Myasnikov announced the decision to support the creation of the BSSR. A few days later, the territory of the Belarusian state was already precisely defined. The BSSR included Vitebsk, Smolensk, Minsk, Gorodno and Mogilev provinces.

The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) was proclaimed on January 1, 1919 in Smolensk at the Sixth Conference of the Bolshevik Party. True, the official date of the creation of the BSSR is January 2 - on this day the Government Manifesto was read on the radio. Initially, the name was different - the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus. A week after the proclamation of the new Soviet Republic, the government moved from Smolensk to Minsk.

Formation of the BSSR

The history of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) began with constant changes - either in the territorial composition, or in government reshuffles. By the end of January 1919, the independence of the BSSR from Russia was recognized by the central government, the Constitution of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus was adopted, and the first All-Belarusian Congress of Deputies began its work. However, already on February 27, the Byelorussian SSR merged with the Lithuanian, forming the Litbel SSR. This state formation also did not last long - it fell apart after the occupation of its territory by Polish troops.

Restoration of independence

After the liberation of the Belarusian territories by the Red Army, the independence of the Byelorussian SSR was restored. At the end of July 1920, the Declaration of Independence was published. The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic became one of the four republics that formed the USSR.

By 1926, the territory of the Byelorussian SSR had almost doubled: Russia transferred parts of the Gomel, Vitebsk and Smolensk provinces to Belarus. The return of the BSSR and other ethnic territories was also expected, for example, part of the Bryansk region and practically the entire Smolensk region. After the beginning of the repressions, this issue was no longer discussed.

In 1939, a part of the Vilna region was transferred to the Republic of Lithuania (representatives of the BSSR did not participate in the negotiations and signing of the agreement), then Western Belarus was annexed to the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (briefly - BSSR), namely the Baranovichi, Pinsk, Brest, Belostok regions and part of Vileika. In the post-war period, the Belarusian Sventsyany, Devyanshiki and other territories were also transferred to the Lithuanian SSR.

State flag of the BSSR

The state symbols of the Byelorussian SSR changed several times during the formation of statehood and joining the Soviet Union. From 1919 to 1927, the flag of the Byelorussian SSR was a dark red flag with a yellow inscription "SSRB" in the upper left corner. In 1919 (from February to September), when the BSSR briefly merged with the Republic of Lithuania, forming the Litbel SSR, the flag was just a red flag without any inscriptions or other symbols.

From 1927 to 1937, the flag of the BSSR almost completely repeated the one that was in 1919-1927. The same dark red cloth, but now the inscription was not “SSRB”, but “BSSR”, and was additionally surrounded by a yellow frame in the shape of a square. From 1937 to 1951, the frame on the flag disappeared, and the Soviet sickle and hammer appeared above the inscription. From 1951 until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the flag almost exactly repeated the modern Belarusian one. This is a panel consisting of two horizontal stripes (red and green in a ratio of two to one). At the pole there is a national ornament with a vertical stripe. There were also state symbols of the USSR on the red stripe.

Emblem of the Byelorussian SSR

The coat of arms of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic is based on the coat of arms of the USSR. It is an image of a hammer and a sickle in the rays of the sun. The hammer and sickle are surrounded by a wreath of rye ears intertwined with flax and clover. Below is part of the globe. The two halves of the wreath are intertwined with red ribbons with the inscription "Proletarians of all countries, unite!". Above the state emblem is a five-pointed Soviet star.

State anthem of the BSSR

The anthem of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic appeared only in 1955, although it was created in 1944. The author of the words is M. Klimkovich, the composer is N. Sokolovsky.

Administrative division

In 1926, the territory of Belarus was divided into ten districts, in 1928 there were eight, in 1935 - four. As of 1991, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic included six regions: Brest, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Minsk, Gomel, Grodno. Previously, separate regions were also Polotsk (abolished in 1954), Baranovichi (existed from 1939 to 1954), Polesskaya (entered Gomel in 1954), Vileika (abolished in 1944), Bialystok (in 1944 most of the territory of the region was ceded to Poland ) and others.

To date, all six regions that were part of the BSSR at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union have been preserved in Belarus. Most of these regions were formed in 1938-1939, Grodno - in 1944.

Population of the Byelorussian SSR

Three years after the official announcement of the creation of the BSSR, the population of the Republic totaled one and a half million people. According to the data given in the TSB, by 1924 the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic increased from 52 thousand km 2 to 110 in area, the population amounted to more than four million. In 1939, when the area of ​​the Republic was 223 thousand km2, the number of citizens reached ten million people. The maximum mark of the population of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was recorded in 1989 and amounted to 10.15 million people. The area in this case was equal to 207.6 thousand km 2.

Economy of the Republic

The leading branches of industry in the Byelorussian SSR were light and food, as well as mechanical engineering and metalworking. Energy was based on peat, coal, oil and natural gas. Mechanical engineering and machine tool building stood out, instrument making, radio electronics and radio engineering were also quite developed.

The petrochemical and chemical industry of the BSSR specialized in the production of fertilizers, tires, synthetic materials, chemical fibers, and plastics. Construction materials and furniture were produced, and the glass industry developed.

In Belarus, cereals, potatoes, flax, sugar beet, fodder crops were grown. More than half of agricultural production came from animal husbandry.

The damage inflicted by the Second World War was very strong for Belarus. But already in the first post-war five-year plan, the economy of the BSSR not only reached the pre-war level, but even exceeded it by 31%. The number of workers by that time had already reached 91% of the pre-war level. The tasks were really ambitious, the economy was developing.

In the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s, the BSSR became an all-Union construction site: more than a hundred new plants and factories were put into operation, oil production began, and the volume of production exceeded pre-war figures by 38 times.

Leaders of the BSSR

The leaders of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic changed quite often. From the moment of the proclamation of the BSSR until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the leadership was carried out by the Communist Party. Over the years, the chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme Council were V. I. Kozlov, S. O. Pritytsky, I. F. Klimov, Z. M. Bychkovskaya, I. E. Polyakov, N. I. Dementei and others. In the last months of the BSSR and in independent Belarus (until 1994), Stanislav Shushkevich was the leader.

After the collapse of the Soviet Socialist Republic, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished, and a new independent state appeared on the political map of the world - the parliamentary republic of Belarus.

The BSSR is the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, one of the 16 republics that were part of the USSR. After the collapse of the USSR, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic of the BSSR became the city of Minsk, which was one of the largest and most populous cities in the Soviet Union. In addition, in the BSSR it is necessary to allocate 6 regions, 117 districts in rural areas, 98 cities, as well as 111 urban-type settlements.

The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic existed for a long time. The flag has been represented by various variants throughout its history. These options are presented in the article.

Interestingly, when the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic existed, the coat of arms almost did not change.

History of education

Between such states as Poland, the Lithuanian SSR, the Latvian SSR, the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was created after the revolution. Its territory totaled about 207,600 km 2. Initially, the BSSR belonged to the RSFSR and only two years later became an independent republic. Immediately after the separation of the BSSR, it united with the Lithuanian Soviet Republic and the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was formed, or, as it was also called, the LitBel SSR, but only for a year and a half. The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic of 1919 was actually part of a larger republic. The Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic consisted of two. The Moscow-Lithuanian Treaty, which was signed on July 12, 1920, was an omen of the collapse of the SSR LitBel. And already on July 31, the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic completely disintegrated. Thus, the BSSR was created in 1919, then entered into a larger association, after, from 1920 to 1991, it existed in its former status and became an independent state.

Economic characteristic

In 1980, 4.3 billion rubles were invested in the BSSR for the development of industry, economy and infrastructure. The most developed industries of this state can be called the chemical, petrochemical and food industries. The rapid economic growth (from 1940 to 1980) was carried out due to the abundant capital investment and labor of the Belarusian people. People who lived in the republic after the war rebuilt cities, many of which, one might say, were rebuilt, set up production, and the volume of production increased by as much as 29 times in just 40 years. The fuel of the BSSR, as well as the Republic of Belarus, was and is provided with the help of its abundant reserves of natural gas, oil, coal and peat. Rich mineral deposits were also developed and developed with the help of investments from the USSR. The length of railways in the BSSR in 1982 was as much as 5,513 km, and roads for vehicles - 36,700 km.

Population

The BSSR was one of the most densely populated parts of the Soviet Union, in 1984 the population density was 47.6 people per 1 km2. The uniform population of the republic is determined by relatively equal population throughout its territory. However, the center of the country was the most populated, which can be explained by the location of large cities here, including Minsk. Between 1950 and 1970, the urban population increased faster than the Soviet average.

Nature of the BSSR

The republic is located on the East European Plain, occupying the basin of the middle Dnieper, as well as the western Dvina and Neman in its upper reaches. The flat surface type prevails. However, the area is characterized by an alternation of uplands and lowlands, which are very swampy in places, in addition, there were a large number of lakes on the territory of the BSSR. Quaternary glaciation determines this feature of the relief. In the northwestern part of the state there is a whole system of finite moraine ridges. Uplands are in the northeast.

Relief

In the direction from west to east, on the territory of the former BSSR, the Belarusian ridge stretches, which consists of separate parts, hills formed in the Moscow glaciation. Parallel to it are the glacial plains. Belarusian Polesye, located in the south of the state, is called a special case of the plain. Hills and ridges also protrude in the south, next to the Belarusian Polesye.

Climate

The BSSR was located in the temperate zone, which means that the climate is temperate continental. The temperature in January is about -4 °С, however, due to the relatively large length from north to south, this value may vary. The average temperature in July is about 17 ° C, but for the same reason the value cannot be accurate for absolutely all regions of the country. The climate is continental, which means that there is little precipitation - 550-700 mm.

Rivers

In the BSSR there were a large number of rivers, both small and large in length. Their total length is considered to be 90,600 km. All of them belong to the Atlantic Ocean basin, namely to the Black and Baltic Seas. Some rivers are used for transportation. The BSSR was very rich in forests, which occupied 1/3 of the entire territory, swamp vegetation and shrubs were located on 1/10 of the territory.

The territory of the BSSR was not on the edge of the East European Plate, which means that seismological activity could not be strong, the most powerful earthquakes did not even reach 5 points.

Minerals of the BSSR

The most important minerals, which are still found on the territory of Belarus in large quantities, are gas, oil, coal and various salts.

The region of the northern part of the Pripyat trough is very rich in oil and gas. A distinctive feature of oil deposits is their massiveness and their arrangement in layers. Natural gas is not presented in large volumes, and therefore is produced as a by-product.

and shales

Huge reserves of brown coal were also discovered on the territory of the BSSR. Peat is represented by 39 species. It is one of the main types of fuel in Belarus. As many as 7,000 coal deposits, the total area of ​​which is about 2.5 million hectares, simply cannot be unused. The total amount of peat is 1.1 billion tons, these are truly rich reserves.

In addition, oil shale began to be mined in the BSSR, which, according to geologists, are located at a depth of up to 600 m. Huge reserves of shale are also actively used as fuel.

salt

Potash and rock salts are mining and chemical raw materials. The thickness of the layers is 1-40 m. They lie under carbonate-argillaceous rocks. The reserves of potash salts amount to about 7.8 billion tons. They are mined at various deposits, for example, at Starobinsky and Petrikovsky. Rock salts are represented by 20 billion tons, they occur at a depth of up to 750 meters. They are mined at such deposits as Davydovskoye and Mozyrskoye. In addition, the BSSR was rich in phosphorites.

Building rocks

The territory of Belarus also has rich reserves of building and facing stone, chalk rocks, clays and building sands. Stocks of building stone - about 457 million m 3, facing - about 4.6 million m 3. The southern regions of Belarus are richest in building stones. Dolomites, on the other hand, come to the surface in the north. Their reserves are about 437.8 million tons. The BSSR was also rich in chalk rocks, the reserves of which today amount to about 3679 million tons. Clays of various types are represented on the territory of Belarus with reserves of 587 million m , Gomel and Vitebsk regions.

Development of mineral resources

On the territory of the BSSR, as already mentioned, mineral resources were actively mined. Their development began 30,000 years ago, in the late Paleolithic era. At that time, people who lived in this area mined flint from the surface of the earth. About 4500 thousand years ago, flint mining was already developed. A large number of mines have been discovered that were used even in the Cretaceous periods. Their depth is no more than 6 meters, however, given the time of their occurrence, we can assume that the extraction of flint was very developed among the inhabitants of these areas. There were also whole complexes of mines connected by passages, usually up to 5.

Production development

Ancient needles were found in the mines, which were intended for sewing together bags needed to transport the mined mineral. The material was processed near the exit. Flint was used to make axes. Already in the fifth century BC. the development of metal deposits began, from which people who lived on the territory of Belarus created household items and weapons. In addition, utensils for various needs were made from clay. Already from the 16th century, glass factories began to appear, and in the 18th, the first manufactories in this area arose.

Peat mining

Peat extraction in the BSSR has become an independent industry. Volumes have steadily increased due to increased usage. Peat enterprises appeared, which strengthened the industry. But during the Second World War, almost all of them were destroyed. Only by 1949 did the volume of extracted peat reach its previous values.

Salt mining

As already mentioned, potash and rock salts are found in large quantities on the territory of Belarus. But only in 1961 their active mining began. The underground mining method was used. The richest of them is Starobinskoye. The mechanization of most of the mining led to an increase in the volume of salts by 60% in 1965 and by 98% in 1980.

Subsoil protection

Minerals were actively mined in the BSSR, it is easy to guess that this greatly affected the environment. Huge areas were badly damaged. Therefore, recreational activities aimed at enriching the subsoil and restoring resources, such as fertilizing the soil and planting trees, began to be carried out.

Education of industrial specialists

The Belarusian Polytechnic Institute, formed back in the BSSR, trains personnel for work in the mining industry. It was founded in 1933 in Minsk. Already in 1969 there were as many as 12 faculties. There are also other educational institutions. Technical schools still provide education in the development of peat deposits, underground processing of ores and non-metallic minerals, and in other branches of industry.

Arena of Confrontation

In 1920, the BSSR, one might say, was the center of confrontation between bourgeois Europe and the USSR. The latter side wanted to retain power in Poland, the interests of the Soviet Union were represented by a delegation from the RSFSR. The decision was made not in favor of the BSSR. The resolution did not give the possibility of expanding Belarus at the expense of Poland.

The socialists of the BSSR were dissatisfied with the location of the borders with their neighbors, namely with the RSFSR and Poland. They believed that it was impossible to establish boundaries on an ethnographic basis. There was no unity on territorial issues.

The Great Patriotic War

During the Second World War, the BSSR and the Ukrainian SSR suffered more than other parts of the Soviet Union. More than 2 million people died in the BSSR, and about 380 thousand people were taken out of the country. The population that lived before the war was reached only by 1971. The Nazi invaders destroyed 209 cities and regional centers, many of which had to be rebuilt, only 2.8 million square meters of housing stock survived out of almost 10.8.

Gaining independence and interesting facts

In 1990, the Declaration on the BSSR was signed, which meant its imminent separation. On September 19, 1991, it officially became known as the Republic of Belarus. In the same year, an agreement on the creation of the CIS was created and signed. The association included the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus. An interesting fact in the history of this state is that for 46 years this republic, like the Ukrainian SSR, was one of the members of the UN (United Nations), although it remained a dependent state - the BSSR. In the 1920s and 1930s, constitutionalism was developing in the republic.

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Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR; Belarusian Belarusian Savetsky Satsyyalistichnaya Respublika listen)) is a union republic within the USSR.

First proclaimed on January 1, 1919 under the name Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus, which seceded from the RSFSR on January 31, 1919, and on February 27 merged with (Litbel).

Litbel ceased to exist as a result of the Polish occupation during the Soviet-Polish war. On July 12, 1920, as a result of the Moscow Treaty, concluded between the RSFSR and Lithuania, Litbel was actually liquidated. Legally, the SSR Litbel ceased to exist on July 31, 1920, when the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus was restored in Minsk, later changing its name to the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. The BSSR, among the 4 Soviet republics, signed the Treaty on the Formation of the USSR on December 30, 1922.

On September 19, 1991, the BSSR was renamed the Republic of Belarus, and on December 8, 1991, the Agreement on the Creation of the CIS was signed with the RSFSR and Ukraine.

At the end of 1918, the Belarusian political and public structures held different views on the question of the creation of the Belarusian statehood. The regional executive committee of the Western Region and the Front and the North-Western Regional Committee of the RCP (b) were opponents of its creation, while ethnic Belarusian refugees in Petrograd, Moscow and other cities created their own influential socio-political organizations and insisted on self-determination.

Until December 1918, the Soviet party leadership did not have a definite position on the issue of Belarusian Soviet statehood. In December, a telegram was sent from the Obliskomzap to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR containing the following text: . In connection with the change in the military-political situation, the decision is overdue. Although proposals to create a Byelorussian Soviet Republic had been voiced before, the Central Committee of the RCP(b) attracted special attention to the decisions of the conference of the Belarusian sections of the RCP(b), which decided to create a temporary workers' and peasants' government, convene the All-Belarusian Congress of Communists and create a national party center. On December 24, the issue of creating a Belarusian Soviet statehood was discussed at a meeting of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). On December 25, People's Commissar for Nationalities Joseph Stalin held talks with Dmitry Zhilunovich and Alexander Myasnikov and informed them of the decision of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) to support the creation of the BSSR. Stalin, however, did not state the reasons for this decision, saying only that the Central Committee had decided "for many reasons, which are now out of the question, to agree with the Belarusian comrades on the formation of the Belarusian Soviet Republic." On December 27, at the last negotiations in Moscow with the participation of Stalin, the territory of the future state was designated (Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, Smolensk, Vitebsk provinces).

The decision on the borders of the new state was adopted on the same day. The territory of the new state was divided into seven districts - Minsk, Smolensk, Vitebsk, Mogilev, Gomel, Grodno and Baranovichi. Minsk, Smolensk, Mogilev, Vitebsk and Grodno provinces, as well as several counties of the Suvalkovsky, Chernigov, Vilna and Kovno provinces, and with the exception of several counties of the Smolensk and Vitebsk provinces, were recognized as "the main core of the Belarusian Republic".

On December 30-31, a provisional government was being created. These days, a conflict occurred between Zhilunovich and Myasnikov related to Zhilunovich's desire to get the majority of seats in the interim government for representatives of Belnatsk and the Central Bureau of the Belarusian Communist Sections, but the conflict was settled thanks to the intervention of Stalin. As a result, Belnatsky and the Central Bank of the Belarusian sections received 7 seats in the interim government, while representatives of the Regional Executive Committee of the Western Region and the Front and the North-Western Regional Committee - 9. At the same time, Zhilunovich was appointed chairman of the interim government.

On the evening of January 1, 1919, the "Manifesto of the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Soviet Government of Belarus" was read on the radio. The manifesto was drawn up in a hurry, and only five members of the government (Zhilunovich, Chervyakov, Myasnikov, Ivanov, Reingold) first in Russian with subsequent translation into Belarusian. This date is considered the date of the proclamation of Soviet Belarus.

On January 3, 1919, the regional executive committee of the Western Region and the Front dissolved itself, transferring power to the provisional government of the SSR of Belarus. On January 5, 1919, the government of the SSRB moved from Smolensk to Minsk.

On January 16, at the plenum of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), it was decided to separate "from the Byelorussian Republic the provinces of Vitebsk, Smolensk and Mogilev, leaving two provinces - Minsk and Grodno" as part of Belarus. In addition, there were proposals to begin preparations for unification with Lithuania, and in the long run with Russia and other Soviet republics.

The decision of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) was negatively received by the majority in the CEC of the SSR of Belarus, however, in connection with the telegram of the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Ya. at provincial party conferences. In protest against the directive change in the territory of the republic, three people's commissars resigned from the government. In addition, such actions were unpopular on the ground as well - for example, the Nevelsk district conference, by 21 votes against 2, adopted a resolution against the transfer of the Vitebsk province to the direct subordination of the RSFSR.

On January 31, 1919, the independence of the SSR of Belarus was recognized by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR. On February 2, 1919, the First All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Red Army Deputies began its work in Minsk, which adopted the Constitution of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus on February 3. The congress was attended by 230 delegates, including 121 people from the Minsk province, 49 from Smolensk and none from Vitebsk; Yakov Sverdlov also attended the congress. At the congress, the Central Executive Committee of the SSRB was elected, which was headed by Myasnikov and which included only two representatives of Belnatsky. On February 27, 1919, the Byelorussian SSR merged with the Soviet Republic of Lithuania to form Litbel. The Litbel SSR ceased to exist due to the occupation of its territory by the troops of the Polish Republic during the Soviet-Polish war.

After the Red Army liberated a significant part of the territory of Belarus on July 31, 1920, the independence of the republic was restored, and its name changed to the Belarusian Socialist Soviet Republic. On the same day, the Declaration of Independence of the BSSR was published in the newspaper Sovetskaya Belorussia. The BSSR is one of the four republics that signed an agreement on the creation of the USSR in 1922.

In March 1924 and December 1926, part of the territory of the RSFSR, namely: parts of Vitebsk (with Vitebsk), Smolensk (with Orsha), Gomel (with Gomel) provinces, were transferred to the Byelorussian SSR [ ] . Thus, the territory of the BSSR more than doubled, and its eastern border generally corresponded to the eastern border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before the first partition of the Commonwealth [ ] .

On March 15, 1935, she was awarded the Order of Lenin by the BSSR for her achievements in socialist construction and development of the national economy.

Until 1936, the official languages ​​of the republic, along with Belarusian and Russian, were Polish and Yiddish. The slogan "Proletarians of all countries, unite! » was inscribed on the coat of arms of the BSSR in all four languages.

On October 10, 1939, an agreement was signed between the USSR and the Republic of Lithuania on the transfer of Vilna and part of the Vilna region from the BSSR to it. Representatives of the BSSR did not take part in the discussion of the terms of the agreement, nor in the negotiations, nor in the signing of the agreement.

Belarus became one of the first 4 Soviet republics that signed the Treaty on the Formation of the USSR on December 30, 1922.

In March 1924 and December 1926, parts of Vitebsk (with Vitebsk), Smolensk (with Orsha), Gomel (with Gomel) provinces were transferred to the Byelorussian SSR. This decision was made at a meeting of the Politburo on November 29, 1923. These lands were defined as "related to it (BSSR) in domestic, ethnographic and economic relations."
The decree was signed by Joseph Stalin.

Initially, it was planned to transfer the BSSR to the entire province, but, according to the 1920 census, the majority of the population in them was Russian.

As a result of the first enlargement, the territory of the BSSR more than doubled, the population increased from 1.6 million to 4.2 million people.

As a result of the second consolidation, the population of the republic increased by 650 thousand people and amounted to a total of about 5 million people. The eastern border of the BSSR began to correspond to the eastern border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before the first partition of the Commonwealth.

Tarashkevitsa and the Belarusian language

The Belarusian language was standardized during the years of Soviet power. In 1918, a teacher at Petrograd University, Bronislav Tarashkevich, prepared the first grammar of the Belarusian language, normalizing spelling for the first time.

This is how the so-called tarashkevitsa appeared - a language norm later adopted in the Belarusian emigration.

In 1933, Tarashkevice was opposed by the grammar of the Belarusian language, which was created as a result of the language reforms of the 1930s. It was fixed and used in Belarus until 2005, when it was partially unified with tarashkevitsa.

In the 1920s, on the official coat of arms of the BSSR, the phrase "Proletarians of all countries unite!" was written in four languages: Russian, Polish, Yiddish and Tarashkevice.

In addition to the Belarusian language and tarashkevitsa, there is another form of existence of the Belarusian speech - trasyanka. It is a mixture of Russian and Belarusian languages, it is found everywhere in Belarus even now. Among its linguistic counterparts is surzhik (a mixture of Russian and Ukrainian), common in Ukraine and in the southern regions of Russia.

Belarusian oil

On August 6, 1958, by order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, on the left bank of the Western Dvina, not far from Polotsk, construction began on a large industrial complex - the Novopolotsk oil refinery.

The plant was built "by the whole world", in the USSR the All-Union shock Komsomol construction was announced.

The place was not chosen by chance. The proximity of the western borders made it possible to export to the countries of Western Europe, the plant could provide oil to the western regions of the USSR, and the nearby Polotsk served as a convenient transport hub.

Initially, the plant's capacity was designed to process 6 million tons of crude oil per year.

February 9, 1963 in Novopolotsk (the city was "born construction") received the first Belarusian gasoline. NAFTAN is still the largest oil refinery in Belarus.

fertilizers

During the years of Soviet power, Belarus became one of the largest producers and exporters of potash fertilizers in the world. In 1958, the development of the Starobinskoye potash deposit discovered in 1949 began in the Belarusian Polesie.

Soligorsk, the only "city of miners" in Belarus, was also built here.

In the 1980s, Belaruskali occupied 17% of the world market for potash fertilizers.

The collapse of the Soviet Union survived with complications, but today, according to the International Fertilizer Association, Belaruskali produces a seventh of the world's potash fertilizers, exporting its products to more than 70 countries.

Giants

Belarus is still famous for its giant cars. The name "BelAZ" has become a household name. Soviet children called any very large trucks that way.

The first mining dump truck appeared in the USSR in 1951. It was the predecessor of the BelAZ MAZ-525, produced at the Minsk Automobile Plant from 1951 to 1959. After, until 1967 - at BelAZ. The carrying capacity of the machine was 25 tons. For the first time, a 12-cylinder diesel engine, power steering, planetary gears in the rear wheel hubs appeared on it. A hydraulic clutch was installed between the engine and the clutch.

The rear wheels of the MAZ-525 with a diameter of 172 cm were rigidly attached to the body, without suspension.

In 1965, the production of a radically new dump truck, BelAZ-540, one of the best mining dump trucks in the world, began at the Belarusian Automobile Plant in Zhodino. This giant became the first owner of the Quality Mark and was a real breakthrough in technological thought. BelAZ-540 was the first car produced in the USSR with a hydropneumatic wheel suspension, combined power steering and body lift hydraulic systems.

In BelAZ-540, a screw steering mechanism, a hydromechanical transmission, a pneumohydraulic suspension of the rear and front axles and a welded box-section frame were used.

By 1986, BelAZ produced up to 6000 vehicles per year (half of their world production).

BelAZ trucks remain the largest vehicles on the territory of the former Soviet Union, they operate in almost 50 countries around the world.

Appliances

During the years of the USSR, Belarus was one of the main manufacturers of high-quality electronics and household appliances. The transistor radios of the Speedola family, produced at the Minsk Radio Plant since 1960, have become cult. Their mass production began in 1962.

The Minsk Radio Plant also produced Horizontal TVs, which were among the most popular in the USSR.

Belarus was famous in Soviet times for its refrigerators produced at the Minsk plant. Here, for the first time in the USSR, two-chamber refrigerators, freezers and polyurethane foam insulation were developed. Belarusian Refrigerators were exported to more than 10 countries in Europe and Asia. The first refrigerator was released in 1962.

An interesting fact: in 1959-1961, Lee Harvey Oswald, the only official suspect in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, worked at the Minsk Radio Plant as a turner.

In Minsk he met his wife Maria Prusakova. In Soviet Belarus, the Oswalds had a daughter, June. They left Minsk on May 22, 1962. Less than a year and a half was left before the events due to which Lee Harvey would become famous. After the death of her husband, Marina Oswald will be on the cover of Time magazine.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Speaking of Belarus, one cannot fail to mention Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The reserve was established by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars on January 4, 1940. Until now, it is one of the largest tourist centers of the Republic of Belarus. The state border between Poland and Belarus passes through Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

On December 8, 1991, in the government residence of Viskuli, which is located on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed a document that went down in history as the "Belovezhskaya Agreement". He stated: "The Union of the SSR as a subject of international law and geopolitical reality ceases to exist." The current president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, regrets the collapse of the USSR even today, which he emphasizes in every second interview.