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The Rise and Fall of Belarusian Nationalism, 1906–1931
Modern Belarusian nationalism emerged in the early twentieth century during a dramatic period that included a mass exodus, multiple occupations, seven years of warfare, and the partition of the Belarusian lands. In this original history, Per Anders Rudling traces the evolution of modern Belarusian nationalism from its origins in late imperial Russia to the early 1930s.
The revolution of 1905 opened a window of opportunity, and debates swirled around definitions of ethnic, racial, or cultural belonging. By March of 1918, a small group of nationalists had declared the formation of a Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR), with territories based on ethnographic claims. Less than a year later, the Soviets claimed roughly the same area for a Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). Belarusian statehood was declared no less than six times between 1918 and 1920. In 1921, the treaty of Riga officially divided the Belarusian lands between Poland and the Soviet Union. Polish authorities subjected Western Belarus to policies of assimilation, alienating much of the population. At the same time, the Soviet establishment of Belarusian-language cultural and educational institutions in Eastern Belarus stimulated national activism in Western Belarus. Sporadic partisan warfare against Polish authorities occurred until the mid-1920s, with Lithuanian and Soviet support. On both sides of the border, Belarusian activists engaged in a process of mythmaking and national mobilization. By 1926, Belarusian political activism had peaked, but then waned when coups d’états brought authoritarian rule to Poland and Lithuania. The year 1927 saw a crackdown on the Western Belarusian national movement, and in Eastern Belarus, Stalin’s consolidation of power led to a brutal transformation of society and the uprooting of Belarusian national communists.
As a small group of elites, Belarusian nationalists had been dependent on German, Lithuanian, Polish, and Soviet sponsors since 1915. The geopolitical rivalry provided opportunities, but also liabilities. After 1926, maneuvering this complex and progressively hostile landscape became difficult. Support from Kaunas and Moscow for the Western Belarusian nationalists attracted the interest of the Polish authorities, and the increasingly autonomous republican institutions in Minsk became a concern for the central government in the Kremlin.
As Rudling shows, Belarus was a historic battleground that served as a political tool, borderland, and buffer zone between greater powers. Nationalism arrived late, was limited to a relatively small elite, and was suppressed in its early stages. The tumultuous process, however, established the idea of Belarusian statehood, left behind a modern foundation myth, and bequeathed the institutional framework of a proto-state, all of which resurfaced as building blocks for national consolidation when Belarus gained independence in 1991.
The revolution of 1905 opened a window of opportunity, and debates swirled around definitions of ethnic, racial, or cultural belonging. By March of 1918, a small group of nationalists had declared the formation of a Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR), with territories based on ethnographic claims. Less than a year later, the Soviets claimed roughly the same area for a Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). Belarusian statehood was declared no less than six times between 1918 and 1920. In 1921, the treaty of Riga officially divided the Belarusian lands between Poland and the Soviet Union. Polish authorities subjected Western Belarus to policies of assimilation, alienating much of the population. At the same time, the Soviet establishment of Belarusian-language cultural and educational institutions in Eastern Belarus stimulated national activism in Western Belarus. Sporadic partisan warfare against Polish authorities occurred until the mid-1920s, with Lithuanian and Soviet support. On both sides of the border, Belarusian activists engaged in a process of mythmaking and national mobilization. By 1926, Belarusian political activism had peaked, but then waned when coups d’états brought authoritarian rule to Poland and Lithuania. The year 1927 saw a crackdown on the Western Belarusian national movement, and in Eastern Belarus, Stalin’s consolidation of power led to a brutal transformation of society and the uprooting of Belarusian national communists.
As a small group of elites, Belarusian nationalists had been dependent on German, Lithuanian, Polish, and Soviet sponsors since 1915. The geopolitical rivalry provided opportunities, but also liabilities. After 1926, maneuvering this complex and progressively hostile landscape became difficult. Support from Kaunas and Moscow for the Western Belarusian nationalists attracted the interest of the Polish authorities, and the increasingly autonomous republican institutions in Minsk became a concern for the central government in the Kremlin.
As Rudling shows, Belarus was a historic battleground that served as a political tool, borderland, and buffer zone between greater powers. Nationalism arrived late, was limited to a relatively small elite, and was suppressed in its early stages. The tumultuous process, however, established the idea of Belarusian statehood, left behind a modern foundation myth, and bequeathed the institutional framework of a proto-state, all of which resurfaced as building blocks for national consolidation when Belarus gained independence in 1991.
448 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2014
6 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Per Anders Rudling
12 books3 followersSwedish-American historian, an associate professor of the Department of History at Lund University (Sweden), specializing in the areas of nationalism. He has an MA in Russian from Uppsala University (1998), an MA in history from San Diego State University (2003), Ph.D. in history from the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada) (2009), and post-doc at University of Greifswald, Germany. He is the author of The Rise and Fall of Belarusian Nationalism, 1906-1931, published by University of Pittsburgh, devoted to the subject of present-day Belarusian nationalism from its origins until the 1930s.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 18, 2023
I‘ve enjoyed reading this wonderful, meticulously researched masterpiece by Per Anders Rudling.
Hence, it is worth diving into by each of Belarusians,as far as the history does repeat itself, and often overwhelmingly close.
The author did a great job discovering the nature of ups and downs, and most importantly reasons on long history abandonment of ourselves as a nation as well as meddling and taking better of uncertainties by our benevolent neighbors.
4 Stars, since i wish,he wrote it after the summer2020
Cheers
Hence, it is worth diving into by each of Belarusians,as far as the history does repeat itself, and often overwhelmingly close.
The author did a great job discovering the nature of ups and downs, and most importantly reasons on long history abandonment of ourselves as a nation as well as meddling and taking better of uncertainties by our benevolent neighbors.
4 Stars, since i wish,he wrote it after the summer2020
Cheers
October 18, 2023
A new, trend-setting study in the field of Belarusian history.... Without doubt this detailed, well-written, and evocative study will not only become an important contribution to the field of modern Belarusian historiography, but also serve as an excellent and essential reference work and introduction to the historical study of East-Central Europe and the development of national movements there as a whole.
Soviet and Post-Soviet Review
Rudling’s brilliant study both casts a much-needed light on a country largely marginalized from western scholarship and contributes an innovative transnational approach to the twentieth-century history of the wider East European region... This sophisticated and multi-faceted study is a highly significant work. Extending well beyond the somewhat esoteric field of Belarusian Studies, it is simultaneously a theoretically informed exploration of the development of a non-paradigmatic nationalism, a case study in Soviet nationalities policy and repression, an analysis of Polish interwar government, and a truly regional and transnational history. Its real hero, arguably, is interwar Eastern Europe as a whole, whose cultural heterogeneity and complex political entanglement shine through on every page.
Slavic and East European Journal
Overall, Rudling’s book is of significant importance. Belarus is one of the most under-researched countries in Eastern Europe. This scholarly work helps to understand how different and sometimes conflicting ideas of ‘Belarusianness’ were created and the influence they have had on shaping the identity of modern Belarus.
European History Quarterly
An impressive study. It deserves to be read by anyone interested in the modern trials and tribulations of nation building in eastern Europe and the former republics of the USSR.
Slavic Review
Rudling’s study is important. His objective is to trace the roots of the Belarusian national movement in the interstices of the political rivalries between Poland, Lithuania, and the Soviet Union in the 1920s. He argues that both the successes and eventual demise of the original ‘Belorussian nationalist movement’ had far more to do with the actions of non-Belorussian actors; that Belarusian ‘national awakeners’ became pawns in larger power struggles between its neighbors. The framing of the history between Poland, Lithuania, and the USSR is an inspired stroke, and Rudling has organized the book very intelligently.
Kate Brown, University of Maryland, Baltimore
---
Amazone
Very good, valuable, calm study of the Belarusian nationalism
As someone from Belarus and who studied a few versions of the Belarusian history, due to being at school over different periods in short term - the edge of USSR fall, re-birth of Belarus nationalism, re-birth of BSSR - I cannot recommend this book enough for those looking for additional sources of information to feed their brain, which is hungry to understand Belarusians as they are.
Kristina
---
Great work of historical scholarship
This work effectively explores the development of Belarusian nationalism. Rudling writing style is clear and informative, with all points being backed up with facts. This book is extremely useful for anyone interested in Belarusian history or the origins of contemporary Belarusian nationalism.
R. Phillips
---
The best book about belarusians I've ever read
A very researched and thougthful book. For me as a belarusian amasing, how one from abroad can penetrate in the soul of the country and its people. I've learned a lot. The author puts up with many political myths, that's why I do not expect it to be translated into russian or belarusian. What a pity for the wonderful and the important book.
VB
......
......
wiki
Polish-American historian Marek Jan Chodakiewicz was deeply critical of the book, which he called "a true believer’s regurgitation of leftist theories of nationalism."
yet
Marek Jan Chodakiewicz (July 15, 1962) is a Polish-American historian specializing in Central European history of the 19th and 20th centuries. He teaches at the Patrick Henry College and at the Institute of World Politics.
He has been described as conservative and nationalistic, and his attitude towards minorities has been widely criticized.
In April 2005, Chodakiewicz was appointed by President George W. Bush for a five-year term to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
Controversy erupted towards the end of his term over Chodakiewicz's claims in several publications that Polish nationalists who murdered Jews after the Holocaust were not motivated by antisemitism.
Chodakiewicz's appointment was criticized by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which said Chodakiewicz had published in far-right Polish publications.
In addition, the British anti-racism organization, Hope not Hate, has said Chodakiewicz is a frequent commentator for right-wing Polish media.
Chodakiewicz is associated with the Polish National Foundation, a "quasi-public organization funded by state-owned corporations to promote Poland's reputation abroad."
Within a period of two years, Chodakiewicz and his family received more than $250,000 from the foundation's funds.
Soviet and Post-Soviet Review
Rudling’s brilliant study both casts a much-needed light on a country largely marginalized from western scholarship and contributes an innovative transnational approach to the twentieth-century history of the wider East European region... This sophisticated and multi-faceted study is a highly significant work. Extending well beyond the somewhat esoteric field of Belarusian Studies, it is simultaneously a theoretically informed exploration of the development of a non-paradigmatic nationalism, a case study in Soviet nationalities policy and repression, an analysis of Polish interwar government, and a truly regional and transnational history. Its real hero, arguably, is interwar Eastern Europe as a whole, whose cultural heterogeneity and complex political entanglement shine through on every page.
Slavic and East European Journal
Overall, Rudling’s book is of significant importance. Belarus is one of the most under-researched countries in Eastern Europe. This scholarly work helps to understand how different and sometimes conflicting ideas of ‘Belarusianness’ were created and the influence they have had on shaping the identity of modern Belarus.
European History Quarterly
An impressive study. It deserves to be read by anyone interested in the modern trials and tribulations of nation building in eastern Europe and the former republics of the USSR.
Slavic Review
Rudling’s study is important. His objective is to trace the roots of the Belarusian national movement in the interstices of the political rivalries between Poland, Lithuania, and the Soviet Union in the 1920s. He argues that both the successes and eventual demise of the original ‘Belorussian nationalist movement’ had far more to do with the actions of non-Belorussian actors; that Belarusian ‘national awakeners’ became pawns in larger power struggles between its neighbors. The framing of the history between Poland, Lithuania, and the USSR is an inspired stroke, and Rudling has organized the book very intelligently.
Kate Brown, University of Maryland, Baltimore
---
Amazone
Very good, valuable, calm study of the Belarusian nationalism
As someone from Belarus and who studied a few versions of the Belarusian history, due to being at school over different periods in short term - the edge of USSR fall, re-birth of Belarus nationalism, re-birth of BSSR - I cannot recommend this book enough for those looking for additional sources of information to feed their brain, which is hungry to understand Belarusians as they are.
Kristina
---
Great work of historical scholarship
This work effectively explores the development of Belarusian nationalism. Rudling writing style is clear and informative, with all points being backed up with facts. This book is extremely useful for anyone interested in Belarusian history or the origins of contemporary Belarusian nationalism.
R. Phillips
---
The best book about belarusians I've ever read
A very researched and thougthful book. For me as a belarusian amasing, how one from abroad can penetrate in the soul of the country and its people. I've learned a lot. The author puts up with many political myths, that's why I do not expect it to be translated into russian or belarusian. What a pity for the wonderful and the important book.
VB
......
......
wiki
Polish-American historian Marek Jan Chodakiewicz was deeply critical of the book, which he called "a true believer’s regurgitation of leftist theories of nationalism."
yet
Marek Jan Chodakiewicz (July 15, 1962) is a Polish-American historian specializing in Central European history of the 19th and 20th centuries. He teaches at the Patrick Henry College and at the Institute of World Politics.
He has been described as conservative and nationalistic, and his attitude towards minorities has been widely criticized.
In April 2005, Chodakiewicz was appointed by President George W. Bush for a five-year term to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
Controversy erupted towards the end of his term over Chodakiewicz's claims in several publications that Polish nationalists who murdered Jews after the Holocaust were not motivated by antisemitism.
Chodakiewicz's appointment was criticized by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which said Chodakiewicz had published in far-right Polish publications.
In addition, the British anti-racism organization, Hope not Hate, has said Chodakiewicz is a frequent commentator for right-wing Polish media.
Chodakiewicz is associated with the Polish National Foundation, a "quasi-public organization funded by state-owned corporations to promote Poland's reputation abroad."
Within a period of two years, Chodakiewicz and his family received more than $250,000 from the foundation's funds.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews