St. George, patron saint of Belarus

Chronology of Important Events

 Period      Description  NINTH CENTURY  Late           Emergence of Kievan Rus', the first East Slavic                state, which soon splits into a number of                principalities. One, Polatsk, becomes nucleus of                modern-day Belarus.  THIRTEENTH CENTURY  1240           Belorussia and part of Ukraine come under control                of Lithuania. Resulting state is called Grand                Duchy of Lithuania, Rus', and Samogitia.  FOURTEEENTH CENTURY  1385           Union of Krevo joins Poland and Grand Duchy in a                federation.  SIXTEENTH CENTURY  1569           Union of Lublin unites Poland and Lithuania into a                single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.  1596           Union of Brest unites Roman Catholic Church with                the part of the Orthodox Church existing within                Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.  EIGHTEENTH CENTURY  1772, 1793, and 1795          Russia, Prussia, and Austria carry                               out three partitions of Poland.                               Belorussia, formerly part of                               Poland, now almost entirely within                               Russian Empire.  NINETEENTH CENTURY  1839           Tsar Nicholas I abolishes Uniate Church and forces                Uniates (three-quarters of Belorussians are                members of Uniate Church) to reconvert to                Orthodoxy  bans use of name "Belorussia" and                replaces it with name "Northwest Territory."  1861           Serfdom is abolished in Russian Empire.  1863           Kastus' Kalinowski inspires uprising in Belorussia                in support of Polish-Lithuanian insurrection                against Russia. Insurrection fails, and Polish                territories are absorbed into Russian Empire.  1864           Kalinowski, considered founding father of                Belorussian nationalism, is hanged in Vilnius.  TWENTIETH CENTURY  1905-18        Ban on Belorussian language is lifted  Belorussian                culture flourishes  period of nashanivism.  1918 March     Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed, putting most of                Belorussia under German control. Central Executive                Committee of All-Belorussian Congress (Rada)                nullifies treaty and proclaims independence of                Belorussian National Republic.  1919 January   Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republican                (Belorussian SSR) is established by force of arms.  1921 March     Treaty of Riga divides Belorussia among Poland,                Belorussian SSR, and Russia.  1922 December  Belorussian SSR is incorporated into Soviet Union.  1928           Forced collectivization starts.  1935           Belorussians in Poland opposing Polish                government's policicd3
 cies on ethnic minorities are                placed in concentration camp at Byaroza-Kartuzski.  1941           Nazis create Weissruthenische Generalbezirk                (Belorussian Military District) in central part of                Belorussia, establish German military regime in                eastern part, and parcel out remaining Belorussian                territory to Lithuania, Ukraine, and East Prussia.  1944 Summer    Red Army "liberates" Belorussian SSR from Nazis                 Stalin orders sweeping purges and mass                deportations.  1986 April     Chornobyl' nuclear power plant in Ukraine                explodes  radiation mainly falls on Belorussian                SSR. Secrecy surrounding disaster galvanizes                Belorussians to mount protests against Soviet                regime.  1988 June      Mass graves of Stalin's victims are found at                Kurapaty, near Minsk. Discovery of some 250,000                bodies brings denunciation of old regime and                demands for reform.  October        Belarusian Popular Front is formed.  1990 June      Supreme Soviet of Belorussian SSR adopts                Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian                Soviet Socialist Republic  Belarusian is declared                the official language.  1991 April     Demonstrations are held in several cities over                economic and political issues.  August         Coup d'état takes place in Moscow  Estonia,                Latvia, and Ukraine declare independence.                 Supreme Soviet of Belorussian SSR declares                independence on August 25 and changes name of                country to Republic of Belarus. Communust Party of                Belarus is temporarily suspended.  December       Belarus signs Minsk Agreement, establishing                Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).                 Eleven former Soviet republics expand CIS by                issuing Alma-Ata Declaration  Minsk becomes                headquarters of CIS.  1994 March     Supreme Soviet adopts new constitution  office of                president is created.  July           Alyaksandr Lukashyenka is elected president.  1995 May       Parliamentary elections are held  results of two                rounds of elections are insufficient to seat new                Supreme Soviet. 

Data as of June 1995