October revolution and the creation of Belarusian statehood

In modern Belarusian historiography there is no single name for the period from the October Revolution to the proclamation of the BNR.

The “October Revolution and the Creation of Belarusian Statehood” option is mainly used ^{[1] [5]} .

The modern Polish-Belarusian historian Oleg Latyshonok for this period of history uses several names of the Belarusian-Bolshevik conflict and the Bolshevik revolution in Belarus.

In early December 1917, contradictions arose between the Belarusian national movement and the local Bolshevik leadership, which seized power in the region with the help of the rebel units of the Western Front.

On December 2, 1917, the Plenum of the Bolshevik Executive Committee of the Western Region and the Western Front examined the issue of "nationalization" of the army, that is, the formation of national military units. The only Belarusian among the commissars, the sailor B. Mukha, demanded that the Executive Committee either allow the creation of Belarusian regiments, or not allow anyone to create national regiments. The plenum decided to dissolve the Polish units and prevent the creation of Belarusian units. ^[6]

On December 5, a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars of the Western Region and the front took place at which the Latvian Karol Lander made a report on the so-called "hostile activity of Belarusian nationalists", at this meeting it was decided to dissolve the Central Belarusian Military Rada and arrest its leaders and bring to trial a revolutionary tribunal. ^[7]

At the same time, on December 4–5, the second plenary meeting of the Central Bank of the Black Sea took place, instead of D. Mamonka, student Tomasz Grib was elected deputy. ^[eight]

On December 5, 1872 delegates from Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Smolensk, Grodno provinces gathered in Minsk. At the same congress, two of the largest competing national organizations, the Great Belarusian Council and the Belarusian Regional Committee, which represented the eastern provinces of Belarus, were represented. The BOC activists tried to take control of the Belarusian national movement from the hands of the FBG, most of them were members of the party of socialist revolutionaries. Initially, the BOK planned to convene its All-Belarusian Congress on December 15 in Rogachev in the Mogilev province, for which they received permission from Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. ^[9]

Seeing that VBR managed to hold a congress in Minsk, the BOK agreed to merge the two congresses, but did not abandon its congress in Rogachev on December 15, which they hoped to take control. The VBR agreed to participate in the Rogachev congress as the BOK enjoyed the support of Moscow and the Belarusian peasantry, which the VBR did not achieve. The congress in Rogachev meant the collapse of a single national movement. Despite the agreement between the BVR and the BOK on the joint holding of the congress, some pro-Russian delegates opposed the congress in Minsk, then the CBVR threatened them with arrest. The congress proclaimed the right of Belarusians to create a national state, but its participants clearly shared their political views to the west and east, the first in the person of the BSG advocated the independence of Belarus, the second in the person of the BOC saw Belarus only as part of Russia. Thanks to the threats of the CBVR, the congress opened on December 14th. ^[ten]

An active participant in the Belarusian national movement, Lieutenant General Konstantin Alekseevsky wrote about this congress:

  What the Belarusians survived at the Congress, what they felt, they will never be forgotten and will be transferred from one to another son of the Belarusian land, under whose care it may be.

More than half of the congress delegates were military, they played an important role in the congress. At the beginning, the head of the Central Byelorussian Military Council Rak-Mikhailovsky Symon was elected the chairman of the congress. A few days later, in connection with the internal struggle, Cancer Mikhailovsky was replaced by another member of the CBVR, Jan Sereda. ^[eleven]

At the same time, when the congress was taking place, numerous congresses of the Belarusian military took place. For example, at the end of November, a congress of the 3rd Corps of the Western Front took place, and on December 1-4, a congress of the 2nd Army in Nevel took place. ^[12] On December 3, Odessa hosted a congress of Belarusians of the Rumun Front. ^[13] On December 15-20, a congress of soldiers of the Southwestern Front was held in Kiev. ^[14] At the same time, congresses of military districts took place. In Smolensk, a congress of Belarusians was held. ^[15] There were also numerous assemblies in military units.

All congresses and meetings of Belarusian soldiers sent declarations to the First All-Belarusian and Central Belarusian Military Rada with support for the autonomy of Belarus as a federal part of the Russian Republic, and soldiers sent demands for the creation of the Belarusian army. ^[sixteen]

The organizations of the Belarusian military in the Mogilev province demanded that the Bolsheviks disband the formed Polish units. The Executive Committee of the Mogilev Council of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies appealed to the Supreme Commander with a proposal to begin the formation of the Belarusian Army from demobilized Belarusians using the Central Military District and the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander. Also, the 4th congress of peasant deputies of the Mogilev province demanded that the Bolsheviks withdraw the Polish units from Belarus, threatening that in case of failure to comply with this requirement, the Belarusian units would arrive. ^[17]

Faced with a reluctance to form a hostile attitude of the leadership of the Western Front towards the formed Belarusian units, the process of forming the Belarusian units continued without the participation of official structures. In the Pskov region, Lieutenant Ezovitov, Konstantin Borisovich began to form a Belarusian regiment of lancers. ^[18] After the creation of the regiment, they were transferred to Belarus to the city of Krasna near Orsha under the name of the Belarusian Horse Regiment. ^[19] This large formation was commanded by Captain R. Jakubenia. ^[20] In Smolensk, the regional congress of Belarusian soldiers as stated in the statement:

  "ancient Belarusian city"

decided to create the 1st Smolensk Belarusian regiment, by replenishing it with the Belarusians of the 377th Vitebsk squad. ^[15] In Odessa, from the Belarusians of the Odessa Military District, the formation of the Belarus battalion began. ^[21]

Numerous Belarusian military units that were created on different fronts tried to contact General Kondratovich Kiprian who was involved in the formation of the Belarusian army, but the attempts were unsuccessful. The soldiers received support, advice and instructions only from the junior officers of the Central Military District and the leadership of his political department. The patience of the junior officers snapped when Kondratovich tore up the letter that he had been brought for signature, in the end, the members of the Presidium of the Central Bank of the Red Army announced that they would leave the military department if he was headed by Kondratovich. The Executive Committee of the Central Bank of the Colombia removed Colonel Ezovitov Konstantin from the leadership of General Kondratovich. ^[22]

At this time, the Bolshevik protege Krylenko Nikolai, who was appointed commander in chief, issued an order banning the creation of national units and a ban on the convening of national congresses in the front zone. ^[23] This order was primarily aimed at Ukrainians and Poles, but the commander of the Western Front Myasnikov also used against Belarusians and on December 8 issued an order to liquidate the 1st Belarusian regiment, which was in Minsk and the inclusion of fighters of the regiment in the 289th reserve regiment. ^{[24] The} CBVR agreed to carry out the order and pour the fighters into the 289th regiment, hoping to receive supplies and weapons. After that, the CBVR sent the arrived volunteers of the Belarusians to the 289th regiment hoping to take it under their command. ^{[25] [26]}

Krylenko’s order provoked a sharp protest from the Belarusian Military Rada of the 12th Army of the Northern Front (Chairman Makarevich), on December 9, he sent a telegram to Krylenko demanding that the creation of Belarusian military units be resumed. In the 12th Army, work has already been done on the “Belarusianization” of several units. The BVR ordered its commissar to continue “Belarusization”, despite the actions of the Russians. Because of this, some commissioners were arrested for a short time. ^[27]

On December 11, a meeting of the military department of the First All-Belarusian Congress was held. P. Aleksyuk, taking advantage of the fact that most members of the CBVR participated in the meeting, made a proposal to turn the meeting into a session of the CBVR. ^[28] At the meeting at which P. Aleksyuk was the chairman, the current requirements for the creation of Belarusian military units and their transfer to Belarus were confirmed. The CBVR also demanded the cancellation of Krylenko’s order to prohibit the creation of Belarusian units and confirmed the right of Belarusians to form a national army, the CBVR also ordered the formation of the 1st Belorussian Regiment in Minsk, and leveled all Belarusian military committees (Executive Committee of the CBVR, Front Committee, Army Committee, and other) with Russian military committees. ^[29]

Meanwhile, the Bolshevik leadership of the Western Region and the front decided to deal with all Belarusian organizations in one fell swoop. The Red Army guard units were pulled into Minsk and the patrols were tripled. ^[thirty]

On the night of December 17-18, the Bolsheviks dispersed the First All-Belarusian Congress , arrested members of the presidium and several deputies. On the same night, the Bolsheviks expelled all Belarusian organizations from the Governor’s House, in response to this, the Central Executive Committee of the Central Bank of the Bolsheviks occupied a building on Police Street where Belarusian organizations moved. And the Belarusian executive committee of the Western Front is housed in a building on Kolomenskaya Street. ^[31]

  "The dispersal of the congress was seen by delegates as" an act of abuse of the Belarusian people, committed through an influential element of alien rapists. After that, every sincere Belarusian with even greater energy, with greater fire will work for the benefit of the suffering mother of Belarus, " wrote December 31, 1917 . in the newspaper “Free Belarus” Congress delegate I. Nyalepka [32] 

Despite the fact that most of the delegates to the congress were military, they did not have any determination to fight the Bolsheviks. The congress participants limited themselves to a march during which they sang mourning songs. The dispersal of the First All-Belarusian Congress, whose decisions became a political reference point in the further development of the Belarusian national movement, had many consequences. One of them was the creation on December 18, 1917 at a meeting of activists and part of the Presidium of the Congress of the Executive Committee of the Congress Council headed by the leader of the populist wing of the BSG T. Grib . On the morning of December 18, at a meeting in the premises of the railway depot of the Libavo-Romny railway, the council decided

1) considers the All-Belarusian Congress forcibly dispersed;

2) to recognize the council of the congress as the executive body of the congress, the duty of which is to implement all decisions and decisions of the congress;

3) to supplement the council of the congress with delegates from fraternities and other groups who send their representatives from the congress to the council and provide them with the right to withdraw or recall. ^[33]

K. Lander and Myachnikov arrived at the meeting and demanded that the audience leave the building, they were opposed by the railway workers who pursued them and threatened with violence. ^[34]

A. Myasnikov and K. Lander organized a victory parade in Minsk on December 20, but they did not take further action as it exceeded their authority. The central government was inundated with protests from Belarusian organizations, and protest rallies were held in Minsk , Mogilev, Vitibsk, Orsha, Polotsk, Igumen. The Petrograd government responded to Belarusian organizations in Moscow and Petrograd and the Executive Committee of the congress that the Council of People's Commissars recognizes the right of the nation to self-determination:

  "up to separation" 

Those in charge of dispersing the congress received a sharp warning from the government.

• First All-Belarusian Congress
• Acceleration of Belarusian organizations in Minsk
• Fight for Bobruisk
• Arrest of the Central Belarusian Military Council
• Fights for Bobruisk
• Uprising in Vitibsk
• Minsk uprising

Belarusian units

At the end of 1917, the CBVR started the formation of the Belarusian army, according to K. Dzhezovit, it should have been called the Belarusian People’s Red Guard, and A. Chochlov suggested that the army be called the Belarusian People’s Socialist Guard, its divisions should have been in Minsk, Bobruisk, Rogachev, Mogilev , Borisov.

At the end of 1917, Belarusian units were created in Vitibsk, Smolensk, Orsha, Luninets, Odessa, as well as the 4th Belorussian regiment on the Romanian front. ^[35]

• I Smolensky Belorussian Regiment - failed to realize.
• I Belorussian regiment - created in Minsk 350 fighters guarded the 1st All-Belarusian Congress. On December 8, 1917, by the decision of Myasnikov, he was included in the 289th reserve regiment (he was under the influence of the Central Military District). At the end of 1917, it was transferred to the Minsk-Vitebsk-Smolensk railway line; at the beginning of 1918 it disbanded due to lack of supply.
• Belarusian Horse Regiment - established near Pskov in early 1918, the commander of Yakuben was based in the Orsha area.
• І Minsk Belorussian Regiment - created in February 1918 in Minsk.
• The 1st Hussar Belarusian National Regiment was created by the order of Tarogin of January 14, 1918.
• The 4th Belorussian Corps - January 21, 1918 was created by the decree of D. Scherbachov on the Rumun Front.
• 357th Vitebsk squad - by decree of January 23, 1918
• 401th Minsk squad - by decree of January 23, 1918

Polish national formations

At the beginning of 1918, units of the 1st Polish Corps under the command of Dovbor-Musnitsky participated in battles with the Bolsheviks on the territory of Belarus where they won a number of victories. The headquarters of the corps was in Minsk. Among the fighters of the corps, from 40% to 60% were Belarusian Catholics of the Vilnius and Minsk provinces. ^[36] In Bobruisk, Polish units defeated the Belarusian regiment.

• 1st Polish Corps

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• The history of the BNR army. How 100 years ago our soldiers fought with the Bolsheviks for the Belarusian cities
• FIRST ALL-BELARUSIAN CONGRESS (DECEMBER 1917): TO THE CENTURY