Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic^[a]
Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка (Belarusian)
Белорусская Советская Социалистическая Республика (Russian)
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic; Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка (Belarusian); Белорусская Советская Социалистическая Республика (Russian)
1920–1991; 1941–1944: German occupation
	Flag; (1951–1991) State emblem; (1981–1991)
	Motto: Пралетарыі ўсіх краін, яднайцеся! (Belarusian); Pralyetaryi wsikh krain, yadnaytsyesya! (transliteration); "Workers of the world, unite!"
	Anthem: Дзяржаўны гімн Беларускай Савецкай Сацыялiстычнай Рэспублiкi; Dzyarzhawny himn Byelaruskay Savyetskay Satsyyalistychnay Respubliki; "Anthem of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic"; (1955–1991);
	Location of Byelorussia (red) within the Soviet Union (red and white) between 1956 and 1991
Status	1920–1922:; Nominally independent state; 1922–1990:; Union Republic; 1990–1991:; Union Republic with priority of Byelorussian legislation
Capital	Minsk
Official languages	Belarusian; Russian;
Recognised languages	Polish; Ukrainian; Yiddish;
Religion	Secular state (de jure) State atheism (de facto); Belarusian Orthodox Church (autonomy granted by the Moscow Patriarchate) (majority) Judaism
Demonym(s)	Byelorussian, Soviet
Government	1920–1990:; Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party Soviet-style socialist republic; 1990–1991:; Unitary parliamentary republic;
First Secretary
• 1920–1923 (first)	Vilgelm Knorin
• 1988–1990 (last)	Yefrem Sokolov
Head of state
• 1920–1937 (first)	Alexander Chervyakov
• 1991 (last)	Stanislav Shushkevich
Head of government
• 1920–1924 (first)	Alexander Chervyakov
• 1990–1991 (last)	Vyacheslav Kebich
Legislature	Congress of Soviets (1920–1938); Supreme Soviet (1938–1991)
History
• First Soviet republic declared	1 January 1919
• Second Soviet republic proclaimed	31 July 1920
• Admitted to Soviet Union	30 December 1922
• Annexation of Western Belarus	15 November 1939
• UN membership	24 October 1945
• Sovereignty declared, partial cancellation of the Soviet form of government	27 July 1990
• Independence declared	25 August 1991
• Renamed Republic of Belarus	19 September 1991
• Belovezha Accords	10 December 1991
• Internationally recognized (dissolution of the Soviet Union)	26 December 1991
Area
• Total	207,600 km2 (80,200 sq mi)
Population
• 1989 census	10,199,709
Currency	Soviet rouble (Rbl) (SUR)
Calling code	+7 015/016/017/02
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belorussia
	Second Polish Republic
	Reichskommissariat Ostland
	Bezirk Bialystok
	Reichskommissariat Ukraine
Republic of Belarus
Today part of	Belarus; Lithuania; Poland; Russia

The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic^[d] (BSSR or Byelorussian SSR;^[e] Belarusian: Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка;^[f] Russian: Белорусская Советская Социалистическая Республика),^[g] also known as Byelorussia,^[h] was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1922 as an independent state, and afterwards as one of fifteen constituent republics of the USSR from 1922 to 1991, with its own legislation from 1990 to 1991. The republic was ruled by the Communist Party of Byelorussia.^[3] It was also known as the White Russian Soviet Socialist Republic.^[4]

Following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918, which ended Russia's involvement in World War I, the Belarusian Democratic Republic (BDR) was proclaimed under German occupation; however, as German troops left, the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia was established in its place by the Bolsheviks in December, and it was later merged with the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1919 to form the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belorussia, which ceased to exist as a result of the Polish occupation during the Polish–Soviet War. Following a peace treaty with Lithuania, the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia was re-founded on 31 July 1920 and later became known as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The BSSR became one of the four founding members of the Soviet Union in December 1922, together with the republics of Russia, Transcaucasia, and Ukraine. Byelorussia was one of several Soviet republics occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. Towards the final years of the Soviet Union's existence, the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty in 1990. On 25 August 1991, the Byelorussian SSR declared independence, and on 19 September it was renamed the Republic of Belarus. The Soviet Union was formally dissolved on 26 December 1991.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

^ Кожинова, Алла Андреевна (2017). "Языки и графические системы Беларуси в период от Октябрьской революции до Второй мировой войны". Studi Slavistici. 14: 133–156. doi:10.13128/Studi_Slavis-21942.
^ 28 July 1990 from Art. 6 of the Constitution of the Byelorussian SSR, the provision on the monopoly of the Communist Party of Byelorussia on power was excluded
^ L. N. Drobaŭ (1971). Art of Soviet Byelorussia. Avrora.
^ Cite error: The named reference altname was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Кожинова, Алла Андреевна (2017). "Языки и графические системы Беларуси в период от Октябрьской революции до Второй мировой войны". Studi Slavistici. 14: 133–156. doi:10.13128/Studi_Slavis-21942.

[4] 28 July 1990 from Art. 6 of the Constitution of the Byelorussian SSR, the provision on the monopoly of the Communist Party of Byelorussia on power was excluded

[11] L. N. Drobaŭ (1971). Art of Soviet Byelorussia. Avrora.

[altname-12] Cite error: The named reference altname was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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