Unifying power of truth

Historical memory is a reliable foundation for the Belarusian statehood

Today, in the context of information and hybrid wars, the consolidation of our society on the basis of spiritual and moral values is of exceptional importance. It is primarily about patriotism. Therefore, Belarus’ main holiday — Independence Day, or Day of the Republic — timed to coincide with the liberation of its capital from fascist invaders is perceived by citizens as an absolutely correct and fair decision.

Mogilev resident Ksenia Bychinskaya visited the Victory Train unique mobile museum. Each of the 10 train carriages
is transformed into an interactive exhibition dedicated to the heroic feat of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.        Andrey Sazonov

On July 3rd, Belarus celebrates the main holiday of our statehood — Independence Day. This day marks the liberation of the capital of our republic — the city of Minsk — from German Nazi invaders 80 years ago. Belarus’ independence cost the life of every third resident of the country. This holiday is revered by all Belarusians as a memory of those who defended the independence of their Motherland whether on the battlefield, in the partisan and underground movement, or in the rear for the sake of future generations. Thanks to their efforts, we, their descendants, got the opportunity to create a free, strong and independent country that looks confidently to the future — the Republic of Belarus. July 3rd is a historically significant date in the fate of the country, which has become a symbol of freedom and peace for our citizens. The immeasurable gratitude to the victorious generation will always live in our hearts!

Decision made in the referendum

It is just natural that most countries of the world have national holidays to celebrate their independence. Speaking about the origin of independence days, we should remember that history is the backbone of ideology, while ideology is the basis of politics. At the same time, history serves as a powerful means of sharpening a sense of collective identity of the people. 
Independence holidays are most often associated with the fact of gaining or restoring one’s own statehood. For the most part, these are the dates of adoption of the relevant declarations. Thus, for Georgia it is May 26th, for Russia — June 12th, the USA — July 4th, Kazakhstan — December 16th, etc. Among our closest neighbours, Poland stands somewhat apart, having chosen November 11th as its Independence Day, associated with the transfer of power in the country to Józef Piłsudski.
In the post-Soviet space, Belarus is perhaps the only country whose independence day is not tied to the separation from the Russian Empire or the USSR. This makes perfect sense — after all, the vast majority of our citizens perceived the USSR as their Homeland. It was a union of equal republics, and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) — the first real Byelorussian national state — was among its founders. 
Moreover, the approval of the existing Independence Day was carried out in Belarus in the most democratic way. The decision was made during the republican referendum on November 24th, 1996 and approved by Decree of President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko on December 11th, 1996.
Despite the national recognition and the facts, some pseudo-historians, to put it mildly, allow themselves to assert that the date of July 3rd, 1944 has a rather indirect relation to the independence of Belarus. Those speculations are meant to destroy the historical memory of the Belarusian people. Distortion of the identification historical basis leads to the degradation and disintegration of the nation.
Therefore, today we must not allow our youth to forget about the great significance of this day in the history of Belarus and its people. As President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed in his speech at the 6th Belarusian People’s Congress, “We should not allow the generational divide, as happened during the collapse of the Soviet Union”. 

Among the UN founders 

The attack by Nazi Germany and its satellites on the USSR in June 1941 called into question the continued existence of many peoples of the Soviet Union, including the Belarusian one. Therefore, the Victory in the 1941–1945 Great Patriotic War is of paramount importance for our country, since neither the Belarusian people nor our statehood would exist without it.  
In terms of its scale, military and political results, the national resistance movement to the occupiers in the BSSR has no analogues in the world. It became one of the biggest factors that contributed to the defeat of the enemy. No wonder Belarus is still called a partisan republic. During its liberation, the people’s avengers provided great assistance to the Red Army troops and, in fact, created a second front behind enemy lines.
During the war, the Byelorussian people suffered enormous human and material losses. In 1945, the BSSR became one of the founding states of the United Nations in recognition of its selfless struggle and the importance of its contribution to the Victory over German Nazism on the part of the international community. That became a strong geopolitical factor that strengthened the Byelorussian statehood.  
The major result of the Soviet period was the fact that the Byelorussian statehood gained geopolitical weight, a real socio-economic and spiritual-cultural basis, which ensured the further progress of the country.

As for the formation and progressive development of independent Belarus, the pivotal role belongs to the national leader — Aleksandr Lukashenko. In this regard, the contribution of the Head of State to strengthening the national model of historical memory should be particularly noted. It is the President of Belarus who emphasises that historical politics is our strategy for self-preservation amid the global redistribution of spheres of influence, our factor of national security. 

Largely due to the principled position of the President, Belarus has not abandoned the legacy of that era and has carefully preserved all the best practices and approaches that were accumulated in the Soviet Union.

No to submission

The Nazi ideology that is rearing its head in ‘civilised’ Europe is genetically and mentally alien to the Belarusian people. Belarus has never been an aggressor, yet has always defended its land and the right to live on it as it sees fit. These character traits are still inherent in the Belarusian people today. That is why Belarus sustains under kicks in all spheres of life with dignity: political, diplomatic, informational, social, economic, cultural.
Sovereignty per se is an excellent foundation for unity. However, it is not enough just to say that we support sovereignty and advocate for strong and prosperous Belarus. Every citizen should contribute to this most important common cause — first of all, through conscientious work and high-quality performance of the duties assigned to them. This is doubly relevant in the Year of Quality, and triple relevant in the context of the geopolitical storm we are facing.
In order to move forward and develop our beloved Belarus, we need to focus on the major goals — preservation of the country’s sovereignty and our historical memory, consolidation of society, and ensuring the welfare of the Belarusian people.
Belarus’ Independence Day unites all those who remember the history of their country, who with their hard work and talent make a daily contribution to the prosperity of their native land.


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

The topic will be continued in the next issue of the newspaper