Belarusization

Belarusization(Belarusian:беларусізацыя,romanized:biełarusizacyja) was a policy of protection and advancement of theBelarusian languageand recruitment and promotion ofBelarusian nationalistswithin thegovernmentof theBelarusian SSR(BSSR) and theBelarusian Communist Party,conducted by the government of theBSSRin the 1920s.

Together with the 1920s policy ofUkrainizationin theUkrainian SSR,as well as other similar policies in other parts of theSoviet Union,it constituted the Soviet policy ofkorenization,an attempt by theCommunist Party of the Soviet Unionto win favor with non-Russian ethnic groups by temporarily reversing the effects of centuries ofRussificationwithin theRussian Empireand promoting national cultures and languages inSoviet national republics.The implementation of korenization effectively stopped by the second half of 1930s, to which theGreat Purgecontributed by elimination the national elites. Eventually it was reversed and replaced with the Soviet government's promotion of Russian language as the "language of interethnic communication".

Plan for Belarusization

The official policy of Belarusization was instituted in 1924 by the Central Executive Committee of theBSSRby creation of a special commission headed by A. I. Khatskevich. The special commission recommended the following measures:

• Transition of the Belarusian Republic's institutions and Belarusian units of the Red Army to theBelarusian language
• Promotion ofBelarusiannationalists to leadership positions within theparty,governmentandlabor unions
• Organization of educational institutions in the Belarusian language, development ofBelarusian literatureand more.

The transition of Belarusian republic's institutions to the Belarusian language was planned to take place over a period of one to three years.

Results of Belarusization

• By 1927, 80% of theBSSR's civil servants were fluent in the Belarusian language.
• By 1928, 80% of schools in theBSSRwere transitioned to Belarusian as the language of instruction.

End of Belarusization

However, with the rise ofStalinismin the 1930s,which repressedthe national elites in all parts of theSoviet Union,and the concurrent return of the policies ofRussification,Belarusization was quickly reversed, along withUkrainizationand all the other programs ofkorenizationwithin the Soviet Union.

See also

• Belarusian national revival,a 19th century movement for Belarusian language and culture inRussian Empire
• Soft Belarusization,a 21st century politics in Belarus

References

• Нарысы гісторыі Беларусі. Ч. 2. — Мн., 1995. С. 119-123(in Belarusian)
• Запруднік Я. Беларусь на гістарычных скрыжаваннях. Минск, 1996. С. 93-94(in Belarusian)