One step from war/Adzin krok da vajny

[Whiteruthenian]

Sorry for my English but this document seems really interesting. I have translated only the document itself, without the comment. The title of the article is “One step from war”.

May be it would have been good for us to begin to build our independence from a small annexationist war, huh? Sharp rise in nationalistic feelings and all that… God knows.

Declaration by the BSSR Supreme Soviet Presidium

The Presidium of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic believes that it is necessary to state to the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic the following.

Who in Lithuania are trying to introduce the Lithuanian Constitution of 12 May 1938 should take into account that in 1938 the territory of the Lithuanian Republic was absolutely different and only according to the decisions of the USSR’s supreme institutions the Lithuanian Republic and the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic were given the primordial Belarusian territories. If the Lithuanian SSR leaves the USSR, the Belarusian SSR will not consider itself constrained by all the laws, decrees and other acts regarding surrendering the part of the Belarusian lands to Lithuania.

The acts regarding the territorial questions between the Belarusian SSR and the Lithuanian SSR were based on the Law of the USSR Supreme Soviet ‘On the acceptance of the Lithuanian SSR in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic’, which now declared invalid by the Lithuanian side.

In this way the Lithuanian side takes the responsibility for the fact that point 2 of the mentioned Law of 14th August 1940 of the USSR Supreme Soviet regarding surrendering Śvianciany district and the parts of Vidzaŭ, Haduciški, Astraviec, Voranava, Raduń districts to the Lithuanian SSR loses its validity, and so does the corresponding introduction by the Belarusian SSR Supreme Soviet Presidium and the Lithuanian SSR Supreme Soviet Presidium and adopted on this ground the Decree of 16 November 1940 by the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium ‘On the establishment of the borders between the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic’.

In case the Lithuanian SSR leaves the USSR, the Belarusian SSR Supreme Soviet Presidium will have to reconsider the decisions adopted by it regarding the administrative and territorial structure of the corresponding regions of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic which (decisions) were the consequence of mentioned above acts.

Besides, taking into consideration the declaration by the Lithuanian authorities about not being ready to completely follow “The agreement on surrendering Vilnia city and Vilnia region to the Lithuanian Republic and on mutual aid between the Soviet Union and Lithuania”, adopted on 10th October 1939 by the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium and the President of the Lithuanian Republic, the question arises regarding saving the validity of the registered there territorial changes in favour of Lithuania.

The mentioned agreement, beside other things, affected the interests of the Belarusian people who live on the territory that were since the second half of September 1939 within Soviet jurisdiction. It (the agreement) was adopted without informing the Belarusian SSR and without its consent.

Besides, it should not be forgotten that adopting of this agreement is the consequence of the secret arrangements in connection with the Soviet-German agreement of 23 August 1939 on non-aggression, which, as it was pointed out in the decision of 24 December 1989 by the USSR Popular Deputies Congress, according to the norms of the international laws lost its validity at the moment when Germany started its aggression against the USSR i.e. on 22 June 1941. The USSR Popular Deputies Congress also condemned the fact of signing “the additional secret protocol” to the agreement of 23 August 1939 and other secret arrangements with Germany. The Congress recognized the secret agreements as legally groundless and invalid since the moment of signing them.

In connection with the worded we shall have to insist on returning the Belarusian lands to the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The Supreme Soviet Presidium
of the Belarusian SSR
29 March 1990

published in the newspaper “Zviazda”,
1 April 1990

[kestutisturbo]

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

Sorry for my English but this document seems really interesting. I have translated only the document itself, without the comment. The title of the article is “One step from war”.

May be it would have been good for us to begin to build our independence from a small annexationist war, huh? Sharp rise in nationalistic feelings and all that… God knows.

You can try, NATO jets are waiting patruling over the border of Lithuania. Collapse of Lukashenko regime is expected after the main NATO forces will move to Minsk - 1 week. And what about victims of poor Belorussians? It so easy to say-let start the war...

[Whiteruthenian]

Originally Posted by kestutisturbo

You can try, NATO jets are waiting patruling over the border of Lithuania. Collapse of Lukashenko regime is expected after the main NATO forces will move to Minsk - 1 week. And what about victims of poor Belorussians? It so easy to say-let start the war...

No, thanks. Now, when Lithuania is a member of NATO? You must be joking! I don’t want to start a war. I just said that a small war (a war itself, no matter by which results it would have been followed) might have been useful for the Belarusians. We got our independence in 1991 too easily and many people just accepted the new status quo without any particular feelings. It’s not right. The tree of independence from time to time needs blood of patriots, doesn't it? (I don’t remember who is the author of these words.)

And by the way – I think a war on… er… Russia would have been even more useful (sorry, Russian brethren ) but we didn’t have enough potatoes to feed all people we would have taken prisoner.

[svin]

How about a 'civil' war? Like overhthrowing Lukashenka regime.

[Whiteruthenian]

Originally Posted by svin

How about a 'civil' war? Like overhthrowing Lukashenka regime.

Common answer to this kind of questions here in Belarus: If not Łukašenka then who?

It would be great to replace Łukašenka by a normal nationalist dictator but we have few chances to do it... yet, I hope.

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

No, thanks. Now, when Lithuania is a member of NATO? You must be joking!

Lithuania is member of NATO since 2004.

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

I don’t want to start a war. I just said that a small war (a war itself, no matter by which results it would have been followed) might have been useful for the Belarusians. We got our independence in 1991 too easily and many people just accepted the new status quo without any particular feelings. It’s not right. The tree of independence from time to time needs blood of patriots, doesn't it? (I don’t remember who is the author of these words.)

So you want to say that independence that wasn't won by war isn't a real independence?

[Whiteruthenian]

I want to say that if you get something with a lot of effort and blood, this thing is much more valuable for you than a thing you get easily.

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

I want to say that if you get something with a lot of effort and blood, this thing is much more valuable for you than a thing you get easily.

OK, buddy, you are partly right, but always keep in mind that war is serious business.

Of course, there are different sorts of wars, some of lower, some of higher intensity.

[Whiteruthenian]

Yes. But the stake was big too – not only some Belarusian lands but also city Vilnius. After Western Belarus became a part of BSSR, even the capital of BSSR was supposed to be moved from Minsk to Vilnius. The new Belarusian language was based on the dialects that inhabitants of the lands around Vilnius spoke. This city is an important part of our national mythology, our history (and yes, of Lithuanian too, but who cares? ) Stalin gave Vilnius to Lithuania as a compensation for its “voluntary” entering the USSR. (“Vilnius musu, Lietuva rusu.”) Vilnius is our, Lithuania is Russian. – A Lithuanian saying of those times.

That conflict would have remained in our history as the [Attempt of the] Great Holy Crusade for Returning Our Heritage. Besides, if in that conflict our side was an aggressor, this might have helped to destroy some myths, which are still harmful for us. In particular the myth of the last war which was created on demand of the Communist Party and is still alive and some other ones.

As you can see, this imagined war has some positive sides. But it’s too late to talk about this – the Lithuanians have already won…

…damn!

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

Yes. But the stake was big too – not only some Belarusian lands but also city Vilnius. After Western Belarus became a part of BSSR, even the capital of BSSR was supposed to be moved from Minsk to Vilnius. The new Belarusian language was based on the dialects that inhabitants of the lands around Vilnius spoke. This city is an important part of our national mythology, our history (and yes, of Lithuanian too, but who cares? ) Stalin gave Vilnius to Lithuania as a compensation for its “voluntary” entering the USSR. (“Vilnius musu, Lietuva rusu.”) Vilnius is our, Lithuania is Russian. – A Lithuanian saying of those times.

That conflict would have remained in our history as the [Attempt of the] Great Holy Crusade for Returning Our Heritage. Besides, if in that conflict our side was an aggressor, this might have helped to destroy some myths, which are still harmful for us. In particular the myth of the last war which was created on demand of the Communist Party and is still alive and some other ones.

As you can see, this imagined war has some positive sides. But it’s too late to talk about this – the Lithuanians have already won…

…damn!

Interesting.

I was unaware of so much peripeties in this love-triangle (Belarus-Lithuania-Poland). I know the history of that area only superficially, in general lines.

But wait a minute, wasn't Vilnius part of Poland between 1918 and 1939?

[Whiteruthenian]

Originally Posted by Plethon

Interesting.

I was unaware of so much peripeties in this love-triangle (Belarus-Lithuania-Poland). I know the history of that area only superficially, in general lines.

But wait a minute, wasn't Vilnius part of Poland between 1918 and 1939?

Yes it may be interpreted so. But you may also say that Vilnius was a part of Western Belarus which was a part of Poland after 1921. It depends of a point of view you choose.

http://tinypic.pl/out.php/i18349_Car...eace1921II.PNG


It says here: “Down with the shameful Riga peace! Vivat free undivided peasant Belarus!”

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

It says here: “Down with the shameful Riga peace! Vivat free undivided peasant Belarus!”

What does this "peasant Belarus" mean?

We had also a very strong Croatian Peasant Party between the two wars. It was a part of a specific "peasant" ideology that developed in many Eastern European countries in the interwar period as an alternative to both Bolshevism and Capitalism.

[Whiteruthenian]

I think that it is not connected to an ideology. Simply in those times our cities were very polonized/russificized and full of Jews. So for many people the words “a Belarusian” and “a peasant” had almost the same meaning. And our national ideology and identity was created mostly by peasants’ sons (or by a poor representatives of szlachta who didn’t differ from peasants too mush).