After the reunification: how the life of Western Belarus has changed

On September 17, 1939, the period of territorial division ended for the inhabitants of Western Belarus. Reunification meant not only a border change, but also a massive change in land policy, health care, education and cultural life in the region. Read more about this in the project “Everything is clear with Marina Karaman” on ONT.

Separated families and destinies

The division of the country affected not only the map. Families were on different sides of the border, and people were restricted the ability to freely communicate with loved ones, use their native language and preserve cultural traditions.

“A country torn in two is not merely a conventional border where there was none before. These are crippled fates, separated families, hundreds of episodes of despair, depression and grief from separation from loved ones and with themselves, said Marina Karaman.

On September 17, 1939, Western Belarus became part of the BSSR. Witnesses of those events recalled that in the early days, many hardly believed in what had happened and feared that the long-awaited reunion would turn out to be a dream.

Land and jobs

Before the reunification, a large part of the peasants of the western territories did not have their own land or owned small plots that were insufficient for life. After 1939, more than 1 million hectares of land were transferred to landless and landless peasants.

After the unification, the peasants were given 431,000 hectares of land, thousands of cows and horses. It is not surprising that Belarusians, exhausted by need, could not believe their happiness, she said.

The restoration and development of industry began. In the region, old enterprises were reconstructed and new production facilities were opened. According to historians, by the end of 1940, industrial output was almost twice the level of 1938, and unemployment was virtually eliminated.

Free medical care

Access to medicine remained a major problem. After reunification in the Western regions began to create a unified system of free medical care: opened hospitals, maternity hospitals, clinics and outpatient clinics.

“In the first year after the unification of the territories in the Western part of the country, 188 clinics and outpatient clinics, 200 hospitals, 24 children’s clinics and consultations, 66 ambulance stations, 26 maternity hospitals, 12 tube dispensaries and 365 pharmacies were opened, and medical care was made completely free for citizens,” Marina Karaman explained.

Mother tongue schools

After reunification, the network of educational institutions expanded rapidly in the region. By the 1940-41 academic year, 5959 schools were operating in Western Belarus, including institutions with Belarusian, Polish, Russian, Lithuanian and Yiddish languages of instruction. Five universities and 25 secondary specialized educational institutions were opened.

Culture and new everyday life

Changes have also affected cultural life. Cinemas, houses of culture and theaters were opened in the cities, where performances were held in the Belarusian language.

86 cinemas, 92 cultural houses and 4 theaters were opened for residents of western Belarus, where performances were staged in Belarusian.

For thousands of people, reunification was a time to restore access to land, education, medicine and national culture. At the same time, the transformations were accompanied by the confiscation of property from landowners and Polish siegemen, which became one of the most controversial aspects of the policy of the new state.

“These were years of happiness, of renewed faith in goodness and justice. It hurt only the landowners and the Polish siegers. They confiscated property and cash deposits. Not in every case, these methods could be called fair, but words cannot be thrown out of the song. What was that, summed up Marina Karaman.