Letter and spirit of the law

Belarusian statehood is based on key principles such as patriotism, unity, and justice

In the autumn of 1939, a historic act concerning our people took place: Western Belarus reunited with the BSSR (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic). This was done in an entirely democratic and legally sound manner, even impeccably. This led to the cessation of Polonisation, national, social, and cultural oppression — all the discriminatory policies that the Polish authorities had pursued on our territory, grossly violating international and even their own legislation.

The Red Army enters the territory of Western Belarus, 1939

Serving the people  

With the arrival of the Red Army, bodies of new authority began to form immediately in Western Belarus. Temporary administrations were established in voivodeships, district centres, and other towns, while in rural areas, peasant committees were created. They were involved, among other things, in organising elections for deputies to the People’s Congress of Western Belarus.  
All citizens who had reached the age of 18 were entitled to vote. In contrast, the previous Polish laws imposed significant social and property restrictions in this area.  

The work of the People’s Congress of Western Belarus commenced on October 28th in Białystok. In the unanimously adopted Declaration on State Power — notably, even by Poles — it was emphasised that ‘the Belarusian People’s Congress, which expresses the unwavering will and desire of the peoples of Western Belarus, proclaims the establishment of Soviet power throughout the territory of Western Belarus’.  

Peasants from the village of Perekhody in Białystok District  at a polling station during the election to the People’s Congress of Western Belarus

The next day, the deputies unanimously adopted a key declaration, stating: ‘We ask the Supreme Council of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to accept Western Belarus into the composition of the Soviet Union and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, to unite the Belarusian people into a single state and thereby put an end to the disunity of the Belarusian people’. At the concluding session on October 30th, deputy Piotr Spasov proposed declaring September 17th a national holiday. The deputies also unanimously resolved: ‘The day of September 17th, 1939 — the day of the liberation of workers in Western Belarus from Polish lords — shall be declared a national holiday’.
What does such unanimity among representatives of different nationalities and social groups testify to? It indicates that the power that existed in the interwar Polish state was not fair, even towards its own people, as it defended the interests of only the wealthy and the greedy, who profited from the exploitation of the masses of people.

We, people of Belarus, have learnt this historical lesson from our past. It is worth recalling the words of President Aleksandr Lukashenko that the authorities must not become detached from the people. That is why the Head of State consistently demands that officials meet with people, engage in dialogue with them, and, most importantly, listen to them. That is why Belarus is a state for the people.

Responsible approach  

On November 2nd, an extraordinary 5th session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, chaired by Chairman of the Presidium Mikhail Kalinin, heard a statement from the Plenipotentiary Commission of the People’s Congress of Western Belarus. The commission consisted of 66 deputies, and the statement was read by Sergei Pritytsky, the future Hero of the Soviet Union and statesman — at that time, a simple farmhand but a true Belarusian patriot — who had endured the trials of Polish prisons. Notably, he delivered the statement in the Belarusian language fluently, in the multinational capital of the Soviet Union — Moscow. This counters the thesis of historical falsifiers that the ‘bloody Stalinist regime’ suppressed all national identities. The deputies of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR passed a law stating: ‘To satisfy the request of the People’s Congress of Western Belarus and incorporate Western Belarus in the USSR, reuniting it with the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic’. The Supreme Soviet of the BSSR was invited to incorporate Western Belarus into the republic.  
At the extraordinary 3rd session of the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR on November 14th, the deputies, led by Chairman of the Presidium Nikifor Natalevich, passed a law stating: ‘To incorporate Western Belarus into the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and thereby reunite the great Belarusian people in a single Belarusian state’. The territory of Western Belarus, with an area of 100,000 sq. km. and a population of 4.7 million people, was incorporated into the BSSR.

Overall, the reunification of Western Belarus with the BSSR holds exceptional significance for the Belarusian people. This historical act corresponded to the interests of the majority of the region’s population, prevented the threat of the Polonisation of Belarusians, and consolidated the Belarusian nation within a single state. Its impeccably democratic legal formalisation categorically dismisses any claims to the territorial integrity of modern Belarus as legally unfounded.

By a decree of the President dated June 7th, 2021, our country established a national holiday — National Unity Day — which is celebrated on September 17th. In this way, we restored historical justice and demonstrated that we have learnt yet another lesson from our past — about the exceptional importance of the unity of the people and the authorities, the state and society. This lesson comes from 1939, 1945, and indeed 2020 as well.
Today, we — the citizens of the Republic of Belarus — have already entered an exceptionally important electoral campaign for the Presidential election. We should take example from our ancestors, who approached their civic duties with the utmost responsibility and participated en masse in elections, consistently demonstrating patriotism, unity, civic responsibility, and a desire for creation. This was also the case in the autumn of 1939, amidst a complex geopolitical situation somewhat reminiscent of the
present day.

History teaches us that mere aspiration for unity is not enough; a leader is always needed around whom the people can unite. Thank goodness that present-day Belarus has such a leader represented by President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has repeatedly proven that the interests of the people and the state have always been his top priority. 

By Vyacheslav Danilovich, deputy of the House of Representatives, Doctor of Historical Sciences