Belarusian Socialist Assembly
Encyclopedia
The Belarusian Socialist Assembly, BSA ' onMouseout='HidePop("22596")' href="/topics/Hramada">Hramada
, BSH) was a revolutionary party
in the Belarus
ian territory of the Russian Empire
. It was established in 1902 as the Belarusian Revolutionary Party, renamed in 1903.
The BSA had branches in Minsk
, Vilna
and also in St. Petersburg. After the February Revolution
in Russia, the political activity in Belarus
increased, and in summer of 1917 BSA gave rise to the Communist Party of Byelorussia and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party.
On March 19, 1918 on the initiative of the BSA, the Council (Rada
) of the Belarusian National Republic
has become a temporary, short-lived parliament
in Belarusian lands. Most of the BNR Counsil were members of the BSA.
Russian Bolshevik
s had a negative attitude towards the BSA. Vladimir Lenin
described BSA as a "nationalist petty bourgeois party of left
populist
orientation". The 2nd Congress of the Soviets of the Western Province (Russia) declared the Council of the Belarusian Republic counter-revolutionary and anti-Soviet.
After the Polish-Soviet War
many activists of the BSA have found theselves in Poland
, which acquired Western Belarus, and they struggled for the Belarusian autonomy.
Hramada
Hramada is a Belarusian word that means gathering of people, i.e., assembly. Historically a hramada was meant as a peasant commune, which gathered meetings for discussing and resolving current issues....
, BSH) was a revolutionary party
Revolutionary Party
Revolutionary Party is the name of several political parties, including:*Dominican Revolutionary Party*Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity*Revolutionary Progressive Nationalist Party of Haiti*Democratic Revolutionary Peoples Party, India...
in the Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian territory of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. It was established in 1902 as the Belarusian Revolutionary Party, renamed in 1903.
The BSA had branches in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Vilna
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
and also in St. Petersburg. After the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
in Russia, the political activity in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
increased, and in summer of 1917 BSA gave rise to the Communist Party of Byelorussia and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party.
On March 19, 1918 on the initiative of the BSA, the Council (Rada
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
) of the Belarusian National Republic
Belarusian National Republic
The Belarusian People's Republic was a self-declared independent Belarusian state, which declared independence in 1918. It is also called the Belarusian Democratic Republic or the Belarusian National Republic, in order to distinguish it from Communist People's Republics...
has become a temporary, short-lived parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
in Belarusian lands. Most of the BNR Counsil were members of the BSA.
Russian Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s had a negative attitude towards the BSA. Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
described BSA as a "nationalist petty bourgeois party of left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
orientation". The 2nd Congress of the Soviets of the Western Province (Russia) declared the Council of the Belarusian Republic counter-revolutionary and anti-Soviet.
After the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
many activists of the BSA have found theselves in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, which acquired Western Belarus, and they struggled for the Belarusian autonomy.
Notable members
- Vaclaw Lastowski, politician and historian;
- Alaiza PashkievichAlaiza PashkievichAlaiza Pashkievich was a Belarusian poetess and political activist of Belarusian national-democratic rebirth.-Biography:Alaiza Pashkievich was born in the family of a wealthy szlachta family. Graduated from Vilnius Private School V. Prozaravej. In 1902 she went to St...
, writer; - Jan SieradaJan SieradaJan Sierada was a Belarusian statesman, pedagogist and writer, the first president of the Belarusian Democratic Republic.Sierada was born in the village Zadźwiej ....
, politician; - Branisłaŭ Taraškievič, linguist;
- Vasil ZacharkaVasil ZacharkaVasil Zacharka was a Belarusian statesman and the second president of the Belarusian People's Republic in exile.-Early life:Vasil Zacharka was born in a peasant family near Hrodna. In 1895 he became a certified church school teacher and later worked at school.In 1898 Zacharka was mobilized to the...
, the second president of the Belarusian People’s Republic.