Plan
Introduction
1. History
2 Area and population
3 Territorial division
4 Guide
5 Economy
Bibliography
Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic
Introduction
Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, BSSR, Belarus (Belarusian. Belarusian Savetskaya Satsyyalistychnaya Respublika, BSSR, Belarus) - a state, one of the republics of the USSR (from December 30, 1922 to December 10, 1991). Since September 19, 1991 officially called Republic of Belarus or for short Belarus. It was one of 4 states that signed the treaty on the formation of the USSR on December 30, 1922. In Soviet and modern Belarusian historiography, January 1, 1919 is considered as the first proclamation of the BSSR - the date of the formation of the Belarusian Soviet Republic of the SSRB, which was part of the RSFSR until January 31, 1919 and self-liquidated on February 27, 1919. . The second proclamation of the BSSR took place on July 31, 1920.
1. History
On March 25, 1918, representatives of several national movements under German occupation announced the creation of an independent Belarusian People's Republic (BPR). After the Germans left, the territory was occupied by the Red Army, the BNR government was forced to emigrate to the West.
The government of Soviet Belorussia was created at the 6th conference of organizations of the RSDLP (b) of the North-Western region of Russia, held in Smolensk on December 30-31, 1918. In the same place, in Smolensk, on January 1, 1919, the formation of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus (SSRB) was proclaimed as part of the RSFSR. On January 7, 1919, the government of the SSRB moved from Smolensk to Minsk.
On January 31, 1919, the SSRB seceded from the RSFSR and was renamed Belarusian Socialist Soviet Republic (BSSR)(also used a variant of the name Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus), whose independence was officially recognized by the government of Soviet Russia. On February 2, 1919, the First All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Red Army Deputies met in Minsk, which adopted the Constitution of the Belarusian Socialist Soviet Republic on February 3. On February 27, 1919, it merged with the Lithuanian Soviet Republic to form the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (abbr. Litbel). Litbel ceased to exist due to the occupation of its territory by the army 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 Belarusian Socialist Soviet Republic was re-formed, renamed after the creation of the USSR in 1922 into Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) .
In March 1924 and December 1926, part of the Russian territory, namely: parts of Vitebsk (from the city of Vitebsk), Smolensk (from the city of Orsha), Gomel province (from the city of Gomel) were transferred to the Byelorussian SSR (thus the territory of the BSSR more than doubled).
Until 1936, the official languages of the republic, along with Belarusian and Russian, were Polish and Yiddish; slogan "Proletarians of all countries, unite!" was inscribed on the coat of arms of the BSSR in all four languages.
The border between the BSSR and the newly annexed Lithuanian USSR was established on November 6, 1940 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
On June 25, 1945, the BSSR and the Ukrainian SSR signed the UN Charter, which entered into force on October 24, 1945. Among 51 countries of the world they are the founders of the UN.
On September 19, 1991, it was renamed the Republic of Belarus, after which it remained part of the USSR for about 3 more months. It was one of 3 republics that signed an agreement on December 8, 1991 that canceled the union treaty (in the Republic of Belarus it entered into force on December 10, 1991).
2. Area and population
1921: 52.4 thousand km² - 1.544 million hours
1924: 110.6 thousand km² - 4.2 million hours
1926: 126.3 thousand km² - 4.9 million hours
1939: 223 thousand km² - 10.2 million hours
1959: 207.6 thousand km² - 8.06 million hours
1991: 207.6 thousand km² - 10.3 million hours
3. Territorial division
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated December 4, 1939, the Baranovichi, Belostok, Brest, Vileika and Pinsk regions were formed as part of the BSSR. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 20, 1944, the Bobruisk, Grodno and Polotsk regions were formed as part of the BSSR, by the decree of the same date the regional center of the Vileika region was transferred to the city of Molodechno and the Vileika region itself was renamed Molodechno.
As of 1991:
Previously there were also:
Baranovichi region (from December 4, 1939 to January 8, 1954, entered Brest, Grodno, Minsk and Molodechno)
Bialystok region (from December 4, 1939 to September 20, 1944, most of them entered Poland, the smaller part went to Grodno)
Bobruisk region (from September 20, 1944 to January 8, 1954, entered Gomel, Minsk and Mogilev)
Vileyka region (from December 4, 1939 to September 20, 1944, renamed Molodechno, the part entered Polotsk)
Molodechno region (from September 20, 1944 to January 20, 1960, entered Vitebsk, Grodno and Minsk)
Polotsk region (from September 20, 1944 to January 8, 1954, entered Vitebsk and Molodechno)
4. Guide
Central Executive Committee of the BSSR
The Supreme Council of the BSSR
First Secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus
5. Economy
· Manufacture of industrial products by years
Bibliography:
1. In Soviet and modern Belarusian historiography, 01/01/1919, the date of the formation of the SSRB, is considered as the first proclamation of the BSSR
2. Second proclamation (after self-liquidation on 02/27/1919 and the Polish occupation of Belarusian lands during the Soviet-Polish war): adoption of a declaration of independence
3 UN.org. Signing of the UN charter
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 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 shale
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 3, they are located mostly in Minsk, Grodno , 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 extraction
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 industries.
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.
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 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 pointed out 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.
Don't call my republic
The land of dark forests!
Look -
Glowing above her
Factory building lights...
Don't call my republic
The land of marshy swamps!
And I garden her
Breathe freely
And loaves of bread sway over her,
And the roads
like arrows
out of the blue…
Kastus Kireenko
A demobilized soldier was returning to his native Belarusian village. The Patriotic War separated him from the region where he was born and raised. For many years he was not at home - having learned about the death of his loved ones, he remained to serve in the army, then he restored the Dneproges and the Kharkov Tractor Plant, built a railway in Siberia ...
The heart was beating fast. Right now, behind this copse, there is a swamp, and then ... Will they recognize him in the village? .. But what is it? Through the rare trunks of trees, where there should be a swamp, blue waves shimmer. The man could not believe his eyes. He rushed forward, parting the bushes… A huge field of blossoming flax swayed in the wind in front of him…
During the years of Soviet power, the face of Belarus has unrecognizably changed - the land of "hungry and mournful", as they wrote about it before the revolution. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of "junk lands" have turned into arable land, flowering meadows, vegetable gardens. By 1958, drainage work had been carried out on swamps and wetlands with a total area of about 800 thousand hectares.
The face of the republic is constantly changing. And is it possible now in a country of powerful plants and factories, in a country where not only "gray bread" is produced, but also wheat and corn, flax and sugar beet, milk and meat, in a country that trades with almost half of the world, to recognize the former Belarus !
The history of the Belarusian people is closely connected with the history of the peoples of Russia and Ukraine. In the IX-XI centuries. the modern territory of the Byelorussian SSR was part of Kievan Rus. Approximately in the XIII century. the name Belaya Rus arose.
In the XII-XIV centuries. the territory of Belarus was captured by Lithuanian feudal lords. The Belarusian land groaned for a long time under the yoke of foreign invaders.
Progressive for Belarus was the reunification at the end of the 18th century. with Russia. It freed the Belarusian people from foreign slavery. True, now the tsarist autocracy dominated it. Together with other peoples of the Russian Empire, Belarusians began the struggle against tsarism. By the end of the XIX century. Byelorussia already had a numerous proletariat. About 50 thousand workers worked in factories and plants, 70-80 thousand worked in craft workshops. In addition, approximately 50 thousand people were employed in construction and seasonal work. Complete political lack of rights, beggarly wages raised the workers to strike. Marxist circles sprang up in many cities.
In March 1898, the First Congress of the RSDLP convened illegally in Minsk.
In 1905-1907. a revolutionary wave swept through Belarus. The peasants refused to work for the landlords, burned the estates, seized the lord's lands. The workers of Minsk and Gomel, Vitebsk and Brest were on strike, demanding political freedoms and better economic conditions.
Liberation brought Great October. Belarus for the first time in its centuries-old history became an independent state - the Soviet Socialist Republic.
The civil war, the defeat of the interventionists, the restoration and reconstruction of factories and factories, collectivization and the fight against the kulaks, overcoming technical and economic backwardness, the cultural revolution ... Together with our entire Motherland, with the help of the fraternal peoples of the Soviet Union, the Byelorussian SSR was rebuilt, grew richer, turned into a powerful socialist industrial republic.
But not all the people of Belarus were happy. The western regions of the republic remained under the rule of bourgeois-landlord Poland. For 20 years the working people here fought for their national liberation, for reunification with Soviet Belarus. In 1939, the western regions became part of the BSSR and began to build socialism with the help of the working people of the republic and our entire socialist Motherland.
However, the Soviet Republic faced severe trials. From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, it became the scene of the most fierce battles.
The Soviet people stubbornly defended the Belarusian land, showing miracles of courage.
Now every schoolchild knows about the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress in the first weeks of the war. Enemies only captured it when almost all the defenders of the fortress fell the death of heroes.
The Nazis occupied Belarus. They exported to Germany the equipment of enterprises and manufactured goods, livestock and food, destroying everything that the republic had created with such difficulty in peaceful years. The land was taken away from the peasants, the workers were forced to work for the occupiers. A dense network of prisons, concentration camps, ghettos covered the whole of Belarus. Innocent people were hanged, shot, destroyed in gas chambers.
But the Belarusian people did not give up. People's avengers - partisans - acted behind enemy lines in each district. From the mainland they were delivered weapons, ammunition, food. Horror was brought to the Nazis by the detachment of Konstantin Zaslonov, the partisan brigades "Sturmovaya", them. M. V. Frunze, 2nd Minsk, 208th partisan regiment. The immortal feat of Ivan Susanin was repeated by the 70-year-old peasant Ivan Tsuba.
The memory of Belarusian heroes who fought in the ranks of the Soviet Army will never die among the people. The son of the Belarusian people, Captain Nikolai Gastello, sent a burning plane to a column of enemy tanks and vehicles and died himself. Another pilot, Alexander Gorovets, fought alone with 20 German aircraft. The hero died, but first he shot down 9 fascist vultures.
The disasters brought to the Belarusian people by the war are innumerable. More than half of the republic's national wealth was looted and destroyed. The cities of Belarus turned into ruins, many villages were burned to the ground ... The economy of the republic had to be restored almost anew. All the fraternal peoples of the USSR came to the rescue. Trains with metal, machinery, seeds, thoroughbred livestock, food went to Belarus.
From the ruins, cities and villages were reborn, factories and factories were put into operation.
Before the revolution Belarus was a backward agricultural country. Its fossil wealth lay in vain. During the years of Soviet power, they - as well as throughout our country - were placed at the service of the people.
Belarus is very rich in peat, the reserves of which amount to billions of tons! This is the main energy raw material of the republic. Use peat as fuel and many industrial enterprises. Powerful thermal power plants will operate on peat, the construction of which in Belarus is provided for by the 20-year plan for building a communist society. In the near future, such energy giants as the most powerful in the republic Berezovskaya HPP, the second stage of the Vasilevichskaya HPP and the Polotsk Thermal Power Plant will come into operation. And the chemical industry begins to produce artificial wax, gas, phenol, acetic acid from peat.
Limestone, chalk, clay, glass sand, gravel and other materials make it possible to widely develop the building and glass industries. Bricks and tiles, gypsum and ceramic blocks, sewer pipes and reinforced concrete structures, window glass and utensils are provided by Belorussia to the entire Soviet Union.
Countless riches were discovered near the city of Starobin - deposits of potash and table salts. Now a new city has grown here - Soligorsk, the first city of miners and chemists in Belarus. A large potash plant is being built here. Thus, a new large base for the production of mineral fertilizers, especially necessary for the non-chernozem belt, will be created in the west of the USSR.
An oil refinery is being built near the ancient city of Polotsk. It will process oil coming through the pipeline from the Volga region. This new industry of the republic will create great opportunities for the development of chemistry.
On the eve of the 43rd anniversary of the Great October Revolution, the Dashava-Minsk gas pipeline, one of the largest construction projects of the seven-year plan, was put into operation ahead of schedule.
Construction was carried out in difficult conditions. Many places along which the gas pipeline is laid are swampy. But the Soviet people overcame all difficulties and won. The path to a powerful flow of natural gas is open. Soon a dense network of pipelines will cover the entire republic. Many residential buildings and enterprises in Minsk, Brest and a number of other cities of the republic have already received this valuable fuel.
Dashava gas will also serve as raw material for the Grodno nitrogen fertilizer plant, which will be built in the coming years. Belarus is becoming a republic of great chemistry. A complex of rubber industry enterprises will be created.
Artificial leather products are manufactured in Pinsk, a plant for the production of artificial astrakhan fur will operate in the city of Molodechno, and the Svetlogorsk artificial fiber plant is under construction.
Mechanical engineering occupies a special place in the industry of Belarus. It began to develop even before the Patriotic War, and in recent years has become the leading branch of the economy. Many machine-building plants of the republic, including the automobile and tractor plants in Minsk, are of all-Union importance. In the production of trucks, tractors, metal-cutting machine tools, Belarus occupies one of the first places in the country. Belarusian machine builders create new tractors, new cars. For example, they produce a "family" of huge vehicles with a carrying capacity of 25 to 40 tons. Such giants are necessary for the mining industry. In terms of their qualities, they are significantly superior to similar US cars. Mechanical engineering is developing rapidly and further. Enterprises for the manufacture of electrodes, various products from metals and plastics are being built, and the production of automatic machine tool lines has been mastered.
In the first two years of the seven-year plan alone, more than 60 large enterprises and shops were put into operation in the republic, more than 400 new types of machines, machine tools, and instruments were mastered. The task set before the industry of the republic is to help the further development of agriculture. To turn out more quickly and more new, more modern machines, mineral fertilizers and building materials.
The products of Belarus are known not only in our country, but also abroad. The republic exports its goods to more than 50 countries of the world. It exports machine tools, machines, equipment. Tractors "Belarus" successfully work in the boundless steppes of Mongolia, and on the stony lands of Greece, and on the dense calcareous soils of Syria. Ditch diggers and bulldozers of Belarusian brands came to the jungles of Ceylon. Powerful Belarusian dump trucks rush along the roads of the Middle East.
The woodworking industry is also developed in the republic. It produces plywood, lumber, standard houses, furniture. In the post-war years, Belarusian workers planted new forests on hundreds of thousands of hectares.
The Republic's transport provides for the needs of its national economy. The most important railway lines are: Moscow - Brest, Leningrad - Odessa, Riga - Gomel. Major highways Moscow-Minsk-Brest, Leningrad-Kyiv pass through Belarus, and airlines are laid over its territory.
The agriculture of Byelorussia is constantly developing and strengthening. The sowing of cereals - including corn - and fodder crops has been expanded. The republic specializes in the development of dairy and meat animal husbandry, pig breeding, breeding of waterfowl, the production of potatoes, fiber flax and sugar beets. For the growth of these branches of agriculture in Belarus, the most favorable natural conditions. But in order to make good use of these favorable natural conditions, it is necessary to put in a lot of work, to give the fields more fertilizer, to create new perfect machines that will be able to work the land better.
FOREST AT BELA VAZHA
This forest was mentioned for the first time in the annals of 983. But the white tower, a watchtower made of white stone, was built only in the 13th century, when the city of Kremenets was built on the banks of the Lesnaya River. It was from this white vezha that the ancient forest got its name, an insignificant part of the immense forest, which then stood like a wall in a vast expanse from the Baltic Sea and the Oder to the Bug and the Dnieper.
In the dense thickets of the forest, there is a diverse life hidden from the human eye. Brown hares, squirrels, elks, wild boars, deer, roe deer, ermines, weasels, badgers, foxes, bears, wolves, lynxes live here ... The world of birds is rich - capercaillie, hazel grouse, woodcocks, ducks, black grouse - more than 150 different species of birds.
But the most valuable inhabitant of the protected forest for science is, of course, the famous Bialowieza bison... When livestock is crossed with bison, breeds are obtained that tolerate heat and cold well and are resistant to certain diseases.
In the last century, 70 animal species have become extinct on our planet. The bison, the largest of the animals inhabiting European forests, was also under the threat of extinction. During the years of intervention and civil war, bison were almost completely destroyed.
In 1923, at the World Congress for the Protection of Nature, an international society for the protection of bison was created. Thus, a new page in the life of Belovezhskaya Pushcha was opened. Scientists-zoologists have carried out difficult painstaking work to restore the herd of purebred bison living in natural conditions. Now in Belovezhskaya Pushcha there are already more than four dozen adult bison, many young ones. And all in the USSR - about a hundred bison.
At the first meeting bison seem heavy, slow, even passive. And no wonder! This forest giant reaches 3.5 m in length and about 1.9 m in height. It weighs almost a ton. However, bison instantly react to any irritation, they are surprisingly mobile and fast.
In summer bison climb deep into Belovezhskaya Pushcha and run wild. They feed on young green shoots, herbs, foliage. And in winter they keep close to the center of the nursery and know well those who feed them. It is enough for the “breadwinner” to give a voice, and huge animals with powerful heads and crescent-shaped horns come running and patiently wait for food at the feeders.
Remarkable people of the Belarusian land, “beacons of communism”, are working with great enthusiasm. This allows us to say with confidence that the task set by the Communist Party - to increase the productivity of agricultural crops, to significantly increase the number of livestock and the production of livestock products - will be fulfilled by the republic with honor.
Belarus is almost entirely green with forests, blue with rivers and lakes. The hills in Belarus are small. They were formed from glacial moraines. The highest point of the Belarusian Upland, Mount Dzerzhinskaya, rose 346 m above sea level. To the north of it lies the Belarusian Lakeland. There are many glacial lakes surrounded by dense forests and thickets.
The climate of the Belarusian Lake District is more severe than in other places of the republic. Flax growing and meat and dairy cattle breeding are developed here. In terms of flax sowing, this region is one of the first places in the Soviet Union.
To the south of the Belarusian Upland, Polesie is located in a giant triangle between the cities of Brest, Mogilev and Kiev. This is a huge swampy flat lowland. It stretches for 500 km from the Bug to the Dnieper. There are endless stagnant ponds all around, overgrown with sedge, alder, gnarled pine and birch. Among them, on sandy mounds and ridges, villages and cities are spread. There are many in Polissya and dense forests. From them this region got its name. In the lowest part of Polissya, in the direction from west to east, fancifully meandering, the river slowly flows. The Pripyat is a tributary of the Dnieper.
Before the revolution, Polissya was considered the edge of wild swamps and forests. Hunger, poverty, diseases were constant companions of the Poleshchuks - this is how the inhabitants of this area were called in the past. Rivers and bogs fenced them off from the outside world. People constantly struggled with swamps and small forests advancing on arable land. They plowed the earth with a plow, loosened with a hoe. For centuries Poleshchuks dreamed of draining bogs and marshes. But only the socialist state, with its powerful industry and collective farms armed with advanced technology, was able to turn the vast marshes into flourishing fields, meadows and pastures. According to the Program of communist construction, the melioration of Polesye will make it possible to develop more than 4.8 million hectares of land in Belarus and Ukraine.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located in the Grodno and Brest regions - one of the most wonderful corners of the nature of our Motherland, the oldest reserve.
Forest, forest and forest - that's what amazes a person who first came to Pushcha. It surprises with its variegation, the continuous alternation of different species, the size of the trees. Here are giant spruces over 50 m high, and there, on the sands, forty-meter pine trees rose. Giant oaks will not be able to clasp three adult men. The height of some oaks reaches 42 m, and the circumference is 10 m. Lindens reach unusually large sizes.
WHAT TO REMEMBER ABOUT BELARUS
1945 Black from conflagrations, desolated lay the Belarusian land. The Nazis turned many cities and villages of the republic into ruins and ashes. The level of the national economy became lower than in 1913.
1961 It's only been 17 years. With fabulous speed, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic arose from the ruins. Compared to 1913, its industrial output has grown almost 40 times. And this means that for every thousand people per year, the following is produced:
machine tools - more than in the US or England, France or Japan;
more trucks than in Italy or Austria;
tractors - more than in England or France, the Federal Republic of Germany or Italy.
In 1913, out of 100 inhabitants of Belarus, 80 were illiterate. And now all children study here, and there are more than 70 students for every 10 thousand inhabitants.
In terms of the number of students in universities per thousand people, Belarus is ahead of Japan, Belgium, France and Italy.
There are more doctors per 10,000 people in the republic than in the USA, England, France, Germany or Japan.
More than 100 thousand specialists with higher education are employed in the national economy of the republic.
In the reserve, tireless work is carried out to protect the rich fauna of this region and to acclimatize new animals.
On the southern slope of the Minsk Upland - the watershed of the basins of the Black and Baltic Seas - Minsk, the capital of the republic, is located. This is one of the oldest cities in our country. It was first mentioned in the chronicle in 1067.
Minsk is located on the shortest route from Western Europe to the central regions of our Motherland. In pre-revolutionary times, it was a provincial provincial town. On the eve of the First World War, there were the largest number of gymnasiums and elementary schools. At the same time, about 30 churches, churches and synagogues operated in the city. Most of the inhabitants were illiterate.
At the end of the XIX century. Minsk became the center of the labor movement and revolutionary Marxist thought in Belarus.
During the years of the pre-war five-year plans, Minsk turned into a large cultural and industrial center. The fascist invaders left ruins and ashes in place of the previously flourishing city. They destroyed 80% of residential buildings, all factories, plants, scientific and educational institutions, theaters, cinemas.
Soviet people restored the city in an unprecedentedly short time. Now Minsk is much more beautiful than before the war. Wide paved streets lined with trees, new high-rise buildings, many parks. In the post-war period, an automobile, tractor, motorbike, bearing and watch factories, a production line factory, fine cloth and worsted mills, and a radio factory were built here. There are factories for spare tractor parts, electrical panels, a printing plant, a plant for reinforced concrete products, and a motor plant is being built. The light and food industries are developed. The city has hundreds of schools, dozens of higher and secondary specialized educational
institutions, including Belarusian State University. V. I. Lenin, Polytechnic Institute, Institute of National Economy, Medical, Pedagogical, Technological, etc. Students in universities and technical schools of the capital - more than 40 thousand people.
The Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR and many research institutes are located in Minsk. There are three theaters, a large state library, the House-Museum of the 1st Congress of the RSDLP, the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
The second largest city of the BSSR is Gomel. It is located in a picturesque place on the river. Sozh.
This is a center for the production of agricultural machinery and machine tools, a large river port.
In the southwest, almost on the border with the Polish People's Republic, stands the city of Brest. It is covered with the heroic glory of the defenders of the Motherland during the Great Patriotic War. The heroes of the Brest Fortress fought to the death, defended their positions to the last fighter. The Nazis were forced to keep here for a long time significant military forces withdrawn from the front.
Modern Brest is a beautiful, comfortable city and an important transport hub of the country.
Not far from the borders with fraternal Poland is another oldest city in the republic - Grodno. A glass factory, a worsted factory, a leather and shoe factory, and a sugar factory operate in Grodno and the Grodno region.
Vitebsk is located on the high banks of the Western Dvina and Vitba. It is the center of machine tool building and the textile industry. The plush carpet factory in Vitebsk produces 40% of all factory carpets in the USSR. The city has a flax mill, a hosiery and knitwear factory.
To the north-west of Vitebsk on the banks of the Western Dvina lies one of the oldest cities in Russia - Polotsk. He is over 1100 years old. Once it was an important center of ancient Russian culture and education. Since then, remarkable historical and architectural monuments have been preserved in the city. Before the October Revolution, Polotsk looked like a run-down provincial city. In Soviet times, he grew up and changed. A glass fiber factory is operating here, the construction of an oil refinery is being completed, and new industrial enterprises are being created.
Speaking about the cities of Belarus, one cannot fail to mention Mogilev, located on the banks of the Dnieper. Famous before the revolution for the products of its leather and footwear enterprises, Mogilev in Soviet times became a major center of metallurgy, metalworking, mechanical engineering, and the textile industry.
The Belarusian collective-farm village is also becoming different. Villages and towns in Belarus are being rebuilt according to new plans. Projects of modern residential, industrial and cultural buildings for rural areas are being developed. Rural houses, like urban buildings, are increasingly being built from prefabricated structures.
The main prospects for the further development of the economy of the republic are connected with mechanical engineering and power engineering on peat, the chemical and food industries, meat and dairy farming.
The selfless labor of the peoples of Belarus (8316 thousand people as of January 1, 1962), the help of all the Soviet republics, and primarily the RSFSR, made Belarus the way we see it today - free, rich, going with all our Motherland towards the bright communist future.
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