Nationalism and socialism: “Phase D” in the Belarusian nation-building

Abstract

This article presents the history of Belarusian national development in the light of Miroslav Hroch's theory and demonstrates how the initial process of national awakening typical for small nations in eastern and central Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century described by M. Hroch continued under Soviet rule after the Bolshevik revolution. Changes which were brought to Belarusian society together with socialist modernization in the Soviet state constituted “Phase D” (a term coined by Terry Martin) in Belarusian nation-building. As the history of Belarusian nation-formation illustrates, Hroch's scheme of three phases of national movements within small nations ignored a specific mode of small nations' development in a multiethnic state and within the socialist formation. At the same time, the question about the status of the Soviet era's achievements in Belarusian national development appears to be an important issue for understanding the current political development in the country.

Keywords:

• Miroslav Hroch
• Belarus
• nation-builiding
• postcommunism

Notes

The name “Belarus” appears in the text in several spellings: during Soviet times, “Byelorussia” was used most often as the name of the Soviet republic, although some authors prefer the spelling “Belorussia.” After the country became independent, the name “Belarus” was adopted as officially recognized (Беларусь in both Belarusian and Russian). In quotations of different authors the spelling of the name was preserved as used by the authors.

For discussion on this subject, see Szporluk.

According to 1897 census data, the prevailing majority of Belarusians constituting 63.5% of the total population of the five gubernias (Mahilou, Viciebsk, Miensk, Vilnia, and Hrodna) lived in rural areas. Only 2.6% of Belarusians lived in the cities (Vakar 34).

Barrington Moore, Jr. analyzes how peculiarities of the social experience determined the specific outlook of the peasantry. “As the world of commerce and industry began to undermine the structure of the village community, the European peasants reacted with a form of radicalism that stressed the themes of liberty, equality, and fraternity, but in a way distinct than that the townsmen, more specifically the more prosperous bourgeoisie, understood these themes…For the peasant, the first of the three was not liberty but equality…Liberty, too, meant getting rid of the overlord who no longer gave them protection but now used his ancient privileges to take away their land or make them work on his for nothing” (Moore 497).

See also Deutsch.

A.F Miasnikov (1886–1925), one of the leaders of the October Revolution 1917 in Minsk, first Chairman of the Belarusian Central Executive Committee (1919), First Secretary of the Central Bureau of the Belarusian Communist Party (from 1920).

A.G. Cherviakov (1892–1937) Chairman of the Belarusian Central Executive Committee between 1920–1937.