National Movement Formation in the BSSR and Its Position on the Union State Preservation in 1988–1989

Abstract

The article explores the history of the emergence and development of the Belarusian opposition organization Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) and examines the history of Belarusian opposition organizations origin, the reasons for their appearance since the 1970s. Special attention is paid to the historical context, the all–Union processes of the specified period, in particular Perestroika, the policy of glasnost and the key event that influenced the formation of the Belarusian opposition — the XIX party conference in 1988. The article describes in detail the process and reasons for the transition of opposition political forces in the BSSR to a single national movement, as well as the emergence of the organization preceding the BPF — the Martyrology of Belarus. Special attention is paid to the personalities who stood at the origins of the BPF — Z. Pazniak, V. Bykov and others. A separate analysis is devoted to the development of the movement in the run-up to the 1989 elections and the electoral struggle. This stage is divided into two parts — the second half of 1988 and the first half of 1989. The political actions of the BPF, such as the rally on the Dzyady holiday and the rally at the Dynamo stadium, are analyzed in detail. The election program of the Belarusian Popular Front “Fifteen points” concerning both the Belarusian SSR and the Soviet state is analyzed in detail. It is argued that the period of political struggle of 1988–1989 was only the start. It will be followed by a new round of struggle in 1990. As a result of the research, it can be concluded that the Belarusian Popular Front managed to get deputies to the First Congress of People’s Deputies thanks both to the organization representatives activities and to the policy of Mikhail Gorbachev.