National Unity Day: how Belarusians reunited in a single republic in 1939
The history of the division of Belarusian lands under the Riga Peace, the period of Polish occupation, the activities of the partisan movement and the events of September 1939, which restored historical justice and unity of the Belarusian people.
This day reminds us that the strength of Belarus lies in the unity of its people, respect for its history and the desire to build the future together. On September 17, 1939, the Belarusians were reunited in a single republic. The division into Polish and Soviet territory lasted almost two decades. And while the eastern part (BSSR) has been developing dynamically all these years, the Polish authorities used the western lands and people living here as a source of raw materials and cheap labor. About what preceded the events and why even the historical schism did not break the spirit of our people – in the report of ONT.
After the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 and the signing of the Treaty of Riga in 1921, the Belarusian lands were divided, and Western Belarus fell under the rule of Poland. The local population faced discrimination: the Belarusian language and culture were banned, the region’s economy was used as an agrarian appendage, and those who disagreed with the regime were sent to the Berez-Kartuz concentration camp, where prisoners were subjected to moral and physical torture.
“A tragic page of history is not only because Belarus and Belarusians were separated, but also because the opinion of Belarusians was not taken into account when concluding this agreement,” said Anna Maskevich, Head of the Department of History of Belarus of New and Modern Times of the BSU Faculty of History.
In response to the occupation, a guerrilla war unfolded in the region, led by underground organizations, including the Communist Party and the Komsomol of Western Belarus.
The situation changed in September 1939, when the Red Army entered these territories, which the local population perceived as liberation and reunification with the BSSR. Shortly after, elections to the People's Assembly of Western Belarus were held, and on November 14, 1939, the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR adopted a law on the inclusion of Western regions into the republic. The key event that restored the historical justice and unity of the people was named in the report on September 17, 1939.
