Everything about Belarusians totally explained
Belarusians or
Belorussians (previously also spelled
Belarussians,
Byelorussians and
Belorusians, also
White Russians) are an
East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the
Republic of Belarus and form minorities in neighboring
Poland (especially in the former
Bialystok province),
Russia,
Lithuania and
Ukraine. Noticeable numbers have immigrated to the
United States,
Brazil and
Canada in the early 20th century. Since the breakup of the
USSR several hundred thousand have immigrated to the
European Union,
United States,
Canada and
Russia. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the
Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the
Belarusian language. There are over 8 million people who associate themselves with the Belarusian ethnicity today.
The native language of the territory of Belarus is
Belarusian; however the majority of Belarusians in Belarus are able to speak
Russian and often use it as their day-to-day language (especially in
Minsk and other large cities).
The prefix
Bela- translates into "White" so these people were sometimes called
White Russians (though not to be confused with the political group of
White Russians that opposed the
Bolsheviks during the
Russian Civil War). This name was in use in the
West for some time in history, together with
White Ruthenes,
White Ruthenians and similar forms. Using the term "White Russians" is misleading as it incorrectly suggests being a subgroup of
Russians and some Belarusians take offense for it being applied. Belarusians trace their name back to the people of Rus and not to
Russians, who are also descendants of the people of Rus.
The Belarusian people trace their distinct culture to the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and earlier
Kievan Rus and the
Principality of Polatsk. Most Belarusians are descendants of the East Slav tribes
Dregovichs,
Krivichs and
Radimichs.
Early East Slavs also mixed with the local
Balts, especially in the west and north-west of today's Belarus. In 13th-18th centuries Belarusians were mostly known under the name of
Rusins (
Ruthenians) or
Litvins (Lithuanians), which refers to the state of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania (
Litva,
Vialikaja Litva) of which the White Ruthenian lands were part of since the 13th-14th centuries and where
Ruthenian language was widely used. On the grounds of the dominance of Ruthenian language (which later evolved into modern
Belarusian language) some Belarusian historians believe the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania to have been their national state when it existed. Another name that was originally commonly used to describe those people was
Ruthenians, by the name of the
Ruthenian state which the
White Russia area originally belonged to.
After
World War I Belarusians had their own statehood, with varying degrees of independence - first as the short-lived
Belarusian National Republic under German occupation, then as the
Byelorussian SSR from 1919 until 1991, which merged with other republics to become a constituent member of the
Soviet Union in 1922). Belarus gained full independence with the
dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Belarusians'.
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