Belarusian-Soviet conflict

The Belarusian-Soviet conflict was a political and military confrontation in late 1917 and early 1918 between units in favour of the Great Belarusian Rada and subordinated to the Central Belarusian Military Rada (CWBR) on the one hand, and on the other hand the Bolshevik Red Guards detachments of the Western Region, Russian Socialist Republic.

Title In modern Belarusian historiography there is no single name for the period from the October coup d'état to the proclamation of the Belarusian People's Republic.

The variant "The October Revolution and the Establishment of Belarusian Statehood" is mostly used.

The contemporary Polish-Belarusian historian Aleh Latyshonok uses several names for this period of history: the Belarusian-Bolshevik conflict, Belarusian War of Independence and the Bolshevik coup in Belarus.

History In early December 1917, contradictions arose between the Belarusian nationalists and the local Bolshevik leadership, which seized power in the region with the help of the Western Front's rebel units.

On December 2, 1917, the plenum of the Bolshevik Executive Committee of the Western Region and the Western Front considered the question of "nationalisation" of the army, i.e., formation of national military units. The only Belarusian among the commissars, the sailor B. Mukha demanded that the executive committee either authorize the creation of Belarusian regiments or not authorize the creation of any national regiments. The Plenum decided to dissolve the Polish units and disallow the creation of Belarusian ones.Velikaja Oktjabrґskaja socialističeskaja revoljucija v Belorussii. Dokumenty i materiały (dalej: VOSRB), T. 2, Mińsk 1957, s. 355—356.

On December 5, there was a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars of the Western Region and the Western Front, at which the Latvian Kārlis Landers made a report about the so-called "hostile activity of the Belarusian nationalists". At this meeting, it was decided to dissolve the Central Belarusian Military Rada, and its members were arrested and tried by the revolutionary tribunal.N. Staškevič, Prigovor revoljucii. Krušenie antisovetskogo dviženija v Belorussii 1917—1925 (dalej: Prigovor…), Mińsk 1985, s. 155.

At the same time, on December 4–5, the CBWR's second plenary meeting was held, and student Tomasz Gryb was elected as a deputy instead of D. Mamońka.K. Jezavitau, Biełaruskaja..., cz. 1, s. 39.

On December 5, delegates from Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Smolensk, and Hrodna provinces gathered in Minsk. At the same congress, the two largest competing national organizations, the Great Belarusian Rada (GBR) and the Belarusian Regional Committee (BRC), which represented Belarus' eastern provinces, were present. The BRC's activists tried to take the management of the Belarusian national movement out of the GBR's hands as most of them were members of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. Initially, the BRC planned to convene its all-Belarusian Congress on December 15 in Rogachev in Mogilev province, for which they received permission from Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin.Łatyszonek, O. Białoruskie formacje wojskowe 1917—1923 Стр 61

Seeing that the UBD managed to hold a congress in Minsk, the BRC agreed to merge the two congresses. However, they did not give up their congress in Rogachev on December 15, which they hoped to manage themselves. The UBR agreed to participate in the congress in Rogachev because the BRC enjoyed the support of Moscow and the Belarusian peasantry, which the UBR did not. Ultimately, the congress in Rogachev led to the breakup of the united national movement.

Despite the agreement between the BWR and the BRC to hold the congress jointly, some pro-Russian delegates opposed the congress in Minsk, at which time the CBR threatened them with arrest. The congress proclaimed the right of Belarusians to create a national state, but its participants were clearly divided over the political views of the West and the East: the former, represented by the BSS, were in favour of the independence of Belarus, the latter, represented by the BRC, saw Belarus only as part of Russia. Thanks to the threats of the CBDN, the congress was opened on December 14.V. Zacharka, Hałounyja mamenty biełaruskaha ruchu, Praga 1926, mnps, BBMFS, s. 22-24.

The military played an important role at the congress, as more than half of its delegates were military men. Initially, the head of the Central Belarusian Military Rada Symon Rak-Michajłoŭski was elected chairman of the congress but within a few days, due to internal struggles, he was replaced by Yan Sereda, another member of the Central Belarusian Military Rada.Łatyszonek, O. Białoruskie formacje wojskowe 1917—1923 Стр 62

At the same time when this congress was held, numerous other congresses of the Belarusian military were taking place as well. At the end of November there was a congress of the 3rd Corps of the Western Front, and on 1–4 December there was a congress of the 2nd Army in Nevel.«Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 3: 1917, s. 4; Nr 6: 1917, s. 3. On 3 December, a congress of Belarusians of the Romanian Front was held in Odessa.«Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 10: 1917, s. 4. Between 15 and 20 December, a congress of soldiers of the Southwestern Front was held in Kyiv.«Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 3: 1918, s. 4. Przygotowania do Zjazdu Białorusinуw Wojskowych Frontu Południowo-Zachodniego opisał znany działacz białoruski Makary Kościewicz: «Gęsty, młody sosnowy las koło RoŜyszcza (na Wołyniu). W ziemiankach i barakach śrуd tego lasu stał sztab 44 rosyjskiego korpusu, w ktуrym mnie dobrze znali jako przewodniczącego korpuśnego komitetu. Wiedzieli takŜe, Ŝe jestem Białorusinem, Ŝe mam kontakt z mińskimi Białorusinami, otrzymuję swoją ojczystą literaturę itd. Ukraińcуw w korpusie była cała 72 dywizja. A Białorusinуw trudno było znaleźć. Znaleźli się jednak sami. W pierwszych dniach grudnia (według starego stylu) jakoś wołają mnie na zebranie Białorusinуw, ktуrzy byli w korpusie. Zebranie odbywało się niedaleko od sztabu korpusu w 46 pułku inŜynieryjnym. Około pуłtora setki ludzi (a moŜe i więcej) pod prezesurą sztabskapitana (nazwiskanie pamiętam, tylko raz w Ŝyciu wуwczas go widziałem); radzą się, kogo posłać do Mińska na Zjazd Wszechbiałoruski, a takŜe i do Kijowa na Zjazd Białorusinуw wojskowych b. rosyjskiego frontu południowo zachodniego (oba zjazdy zbierały się w tym samym czasie). Powinienem zaznaczyć, Ŝe korpuśny komitet, na czele ktуrego wуwczas stałem, wybrany był około dwуch miesięcy przed bolszewickim przewrotem. Na 20 z czymś członkуw ten komitet miał tylko 2 bolszewikуw, organem nowej (bolszewickiej) władzy nie był… Moi krajanie, zebrani (nie wiem, z czyjej inicjatywy) w 46 pułku inŜynieryjnym, takŜe nie byli bolszewikami. Wśrуd zebranych byli przewaŜnie Ŝołnierze, paru oficerуw, kilku urzędnikуw wojskowych i pisarzy. Zrzucam czapkę, witam krajanуw, po białorusku. Jakiś urzędnik zająknął się o tym, Ŝe Białoruś, to sprawa zrozumiała, ale Ŝeby swуj język w jej instytucjach wprowadzać, to moŜe coś trochę za wiele. Za językiem ojczystym wystąpił jeden młodziutki pisarz i wygłosił cały wykład o sławnej przeszłości naszego języka i starodawnej Litwie… Mnie zaproponowano do wyboru: jechać do Mińska lub do Kijowa, a jeśli dam radę, to być na obu zjazdach. Wybrałem Mińsk, do Kijowa pojechali inni delegaci», Makar Kraucou (M. Kościewicz), 20 hadou nazad (Uspamin pra Usiebiełaruski Źjezd 1917 h. (Z časapisu «Šlach Moładzi», Vilnia, 1938 h.), «Zapisy», Ks. 3, Monachium 1964, s. 133—134. In Smolensk a congress of Belarusian soldiers was held.«Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 7: 1917, s. 2.

All congresses and meetings of Belarusian soldiers sent to the First All-Belarusian and to the Central Belarusian Military Council declarations supporting the autonomy of Belarus as a federative part of the Russian Republic; soldiers also sent demands for the creation of a Belarusian army.Łatyszonek, O. Białoruskie formacje wojskowe 1917—1923 Стр 63

The organisations of the Belarusian military in Mogilev province demanded that the Bolsheviks disband the Polish units being formed. The executive committee of the Mogilev Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies appealed to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief with a proposal to start the formation of the Belarusian army from demobilised Belarusians using the Central Military District and the Stavka of the Supreme Commander. The 4th Congress of Peasant Deputies of Mogilev province also demanded the Bolsheviks withdraw Polish units from Belarus, threatening that in case of failure to fulfil this demand Belarusian units would arrive in the province.V. Savicki, Biełaruskaje..., s. 63.

Faced with the reluctance to form and the hostile attitude of the Western Front leadership to the Belarusian units being formed, the process of forming Belarusian units continued without the participation of official structures. In the Pskov area, Lieutenant Ezovitov began to form a Belarusian lancer regiment.V. Savicki, Biełaruskaje..., s. 61. After its creation, the regiment was transferred to Belorussia to the town of Krasna near Orsha under the name of the Belorussian Cavalry Regiment.«Volnaja Biełaruś», Nr 2: 1918, s. 15-16 This large formation was commanded by Captain R. Yakubenya.Krуtki zarys zagadnienia białoruskiego (dalej: Krуtki zarys…), mnps, Warszawa 1928, s. 55. In Smolensk a district congress of Belorussian soldiers, the statement wrote:Decided to create the 1st Smolensk Belorussian Regiment by replenishing it with Belarusians from the 377th Vitebsk Druzhina. The formation of the Belarusian Battalion began in Odessa from the Belarusians of the Odessa Military District.«Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 8: 1917, s. 4.Numerous Belarusian military units that were created on different fronts tried to contact General Kyprian Kandratovich, who was in charge of the formation of the Belarusian army, but the attempts were fruitless. The soldiers received support, advice and instructions only from the junior officers of the CBWR and the leadership of its political department. The patience of the junior officers burst when Kandratovich tore up a letter that had been brought to him for signature. In the end, the members of the presidium of the CBWR declared that they would leave the military department if it was headed by Kandratovich. The executive committee of the CCER dismissed General Kandratovich from the leadership and Colonel Konstantin Ezovitov was appointed instead.

At this time, the Bolshevik protégé Nikolai Krylenko, who had been appointed commander-in-chief, issued an order banning the creation of national units and forbidding the convening of national congresses in the front zone.«Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 10: 1917, s. 3. This order was directed primarily at Ukrainians and Poles, but the commander of the Western Front Myasnikov also used it against Belarusians and on December 8 issued an order to liquidate the 1st Belorussian Regiment, which was in Minsk, and to include the regiment's men in the 289th Reserve Regiment.«Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 8: 1917, s. 3. The CBRN agreed to fulfil the order and integrate the fighters into the 289th Regiment, expecting to receive supplies and weapons. After that, the CBRF sent the arriving Belarusian volunteers to the 289th Regiment, hoping to take it under its command.K. Jezavitau, Biełaruskaja…, cz. 1, s. 43; «Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 8: 1917, s. 3.Łatyszonek, O. Białoruskie formacje wojskowe 1917—1923 Стр 64

Krylenko's order provoked a sharp protest from the Belorussian Military Rada of the 12th Army of the Northern Front (chairman Makarevich); on December 9 he sent a telegram to Krylenko demanding he resume the creation of Belorussian military units. The 12th Army had already worked on the "Belorussianisation" of several units. The BIA ordered its commissars to continue the "Belarusisation", despite the actions of the Russians. Because of this, some commissars were arrested for a short time.«Beloruskaja Rada», Nr 10: 1917, s. 3-4