Timeline: Belarus
Chronology of Key Events
100-40 thousand years ago – First settlements appear in the territory of the present-day Belarus.
9th -12th centuries - The core of the first state formation emerges in the land of the Krivichi tribe (in what is now the Belarusian territory) in the 9th-12th centuries. Known as the Principality of Polotsk with the center in Polotsk it is first mentioned in chronicles in 862. Rogvolod is the first Polotsk Duke mentioned in chronicles in the late 10th century. The Principality of Polotsk reaches its golden age under the rule of Duke Vseslav of Polotsk known as Vseslav the Sorcerer. The Principality of Turov with the center in Turov emerges in the late 10th century.
1230 - The Great Principality of Lithuania is founded; Novogrudok becomes the first capital of the new state. In 1323 the capital moves to Wilno (present-day Vilnius).
1569 - The Kingdom of Poland and the Great Principality of Lithuania unites into a federation, the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth (the Union of Lublin, 1569).
1772, 1793, 1795 Three partitions of the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth between Russia, Austria and Prussia (the territory of Belarus is annexed to the Russian Empire).
1794 – The growing nationalist movement results in an uprising led by Tadeush Kostiushko. Russia sends troops to suppress the rebels.
1830-1831 - An uprising in Belarus, Lithuania, Poland against the Tsarist Russia demanding to restore the Rzecz Pospolita within the borders of 1772.
1861 - The Emancipation Reform abolishes the serfdom in Russia, including the North-Western Region (the then name of Belarus).
1863 -January 1864 - An anti-Tsarist Uprising in Belarus, Lithuania, Poland led in Belarus by Kastus Kalinouski.
1898 - First Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party is held in Minsk.
1903 - The Belarusian Socialistic Hramada, the first national political party, is founded. The party takes an active part in Revolution of 1905-1907. The party supports the ideas of overthrowing the Tsarist autocracy, replacing the capitalistic regime with socialist system, for the national autonomy of the peoples. For Belarus it wants an autonomy with the local Seim (Parliament) in Wilno.
1915 September - Western Belarus is occupied by German troops.
1917 - The Tsarist autocracy is overthrown in Russia. February Revolution, October Revolution in Russia, including in Belarus.
March 25, 1918 - Belarus proclaims its independence as the Belarusian National Republic.
January 1, 1919 - The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (the Belarusian SSR) is proclaimed with the capital in Minsk. The Provisional Government of the Workers and Peasants' Soviet Government is created and is chaired by D. Zhilunovich. The first constitution is adopted.
March 18, 1921 - The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (the Russian SFSR), Ukraine and Poland sign the Treaty of Riga which divides Belarus between Poland and Soviet Russia. The territory of the Belarusian SSR includes six powiats (an administrative unit, akin to ‘region’) of the Minsk province with the total population of 1,544 thousand.
December 30, 1922 - First Congress of the Soviets of the USSR passes Declaration and the Treaty of the USSR. The Belarusian SSR joins the Soviet Union on equal rights with the Russian SFSR, Ukrainian SSR and Transcaucasian SSR.
April 11, 1927 - The Belarusian SSR adopts the second constitution which delegates the power in the republic to the Soviets of Workers, Peasants and Red Army Deputies.
February 19, 1937 – A new Constitution of Belarus SSR is adopted. The Supreme Council of Belarus SSR becomes the supreme body of authority.
September 17, 1939 Western Belarus and the Belarusian SSR reunite hence the population of the republic increases up to 11 million people.
June 22, 1941 – Nazi Germany launches a massive attack on the Soviet Union during the course of World War II. The Great Patriotic War begins. The heroic defence of the Brest Hero Fortress.
July 3-26, 1941 – Defence of Mogilev.
March 22, 1943 – Residents of the village of Khatyn (Logoisk region, Minsk oblast) are burnt alive by the Nazis.
July 30, 1943 – Osipovichi subversive operation, the biggest during the Great Patriotic War. Four trainloands carrying ammunition and Tiger tanks are destroyed.
November 26, 1943 – The Soviet troops liberate the first oblast center of the Belarusian SSR – Gomel.
June 23 -August 28, 1944 – The Soviet troops launch a large-scale offensive Operation Bagration (or “great military earthquake” as baptized by the historian John Erickson) to liberate Belarus from the Nazis. In the course of the Great Patriotic War every fourth Belarusian is killed. Towns, big and medium enterprises are destroyed. More than 9 thousand villages are burnt down. About 380 thousand people are forced to serve as slave labour in Germany.
July 3, 1944 – The troops of the 3rd and 1st Belarusian Fronts liberate the capital of the Belarusian SSR – Minsk.
April 27, 1945 – Among other nations Belarus signs the United Nations Charter. The international community recognizes the contribution of the Belarusian nation to the defeat of the Nazi Germany and its huge human losses in the fight against the Nazism.
1950-1960 – Hard post-war years. The Soviet Union provides significant financial assistance. New industrial companies feature Minsk Automobile Works (MAZ), Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ), tyre manufacture in Zhodino, oil refiner in Novopolotsk, chemical fertilizer plant in Grodno, tyre manufacture in Bobruisk (today the company is called Belshina), synthetic fibre manufacture in Soligorsk and many others.
April 26, 1986 – Belarus is heavily affected by the fall-out from the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl nuclear power plant in neighbouring Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of people receive high radiation doses. Around 20% of agricultural land is contaminated and rendered unusable.
July 27, 1990 - The Supreme Council of the Belarusian SSR adopts the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Belarusian SSR. The document attains the status of the constitutional law on August 25, 1991.
December 10, 1991 – The Belarusian SSR is renamed into the Republic of Belarus (conventional short form Belarus). These titles are transliterated into other languages in conformity with the Belarusian phonation. State leaders of the Republic of Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine sign the Treaty of the Commonwealth of Independent State (CIS). On December 8, 1991 the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus ratifies the treaty and denounces the USSR Treaty of 1922.
July 10, 1994 - Alexander Lukashenko is elected first President of the Republic of Belarus.
April 2, 1996 – Presidents of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin sign a pact on Belarus-Russia Community.
April 2, 1997 – Belarus and Russia sign the Treaty on the Belarus-Russia Union, on May 23, 1997 – the Charter of the Union.
December 8, 1999 - Belarus and Russia sign the Treaty on the Union State and the program of action to implement the Treaty.
September 9, 2001 – Alexander Lukashenko is reelected President of the Republic of Belarus.
March 19, 2006 - Alexander Lukashenko is reelected President of the Republic of Belarus for the third term.
The Republic of Belarus is a member of the United Nations Organization and its institutions, Organization for Security ad Cooperation in Europe, Central European Initiative, Non-Aligned Movement. Belarus cooperates with the European Union, countries of the Asian-Pacific Region, South-East Asia, Middle East, Africa, North and Latin America.
