Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

Belarus, 1919–1991. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991. Byelorussia was one of several Soviet republics occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. Altogether, over 2,000,000 people were killed in Belarus during the three years of German occupation, almost a quarter of the region's population. On 25 August 1991, the Byelorussian SSR declared independence, and on 19 September it was renamed the Republic of Belarus.

Seat of power: Minsk

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• The official languages of the BSSR were Belarusian and Russian.
• The republic initially had four official languages: Belarusian, Russian, Yiddish, and Polish.
• Whilst part of the Union, the cuisine of Byelorussia consisted mainly of vegetables, meat (particularly pork), and bread.
• The memorial complex at Brest Fortress is a national place of grief and pride, a popular tourist attraction.

Picture

Brest Fortress was given the title Hero Fortress in 1965 to commemorate the defence of the frontier stronghold during the first week of Operation Barbarossa.

Image: Alexxx1979, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Sources

• Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Wikipedia)
• Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.