User:WeaponizingArchitecture/Belarus1991
Republic of Belarus | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1994 | |||||||||
.svg) Flag (1991–1995)
| |||||||||
.svg)  | |||||||||
| Capital and largest city | Minsk 53°55′N 27°33′E / 53.917°N 27.550°E | ||||||||
| Official languages | Belarusian | ||||||||
| Ethnic groups (1989 census) |
| ||||||||
| Demonym | Belarusian | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary republic with an Executive speaker | ||||||||
| Chairman of the Supreme Council | |||||||||
• 1991–1994 (first) | Stanislaw Shushkevich | ||||||||
• 1994 (last) | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov | ||||||||
• 1994 (last) | Myechyslaw Hryb | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1991-1994 (first & last) | Vyacheslav Kebich | ||||||||
| Legislature | Supreme Council | ||||||||
| Independence from the Soviet Union | |||||||||
| 8 December 1991 | |||||||||
| 26 December 1991 | |||||||||
| 15 March 1994 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 207,595 km2 (80,153 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1989 census | 10,151,806 | ||||||||
| Currency | Belarusian ruble | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | BY | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Belarus | ||||||||
.svg)
between 1991 and 1994, the Republic of Belarus had no official constitution. It largely relied on government structures inherited from the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The time period also was one of political tension.
History
[edit]During the August Coup in 1991, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic's branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union supported the putsch. However, once the coup failed, Chairman of the Supreme Council Mikalay Dzyemyantsyey (who was also first secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussia was forced to resign from his post, leading to the election of Stanislaw Shushkevich, a scientist, who while a member of the CPSU, was not directly tied to the Apparats. Alongside this, he was known previously for his criticism of the Soviet government's disregard for the Chernobyl Disaster. [1]
On August 25th, 1991, the BSSR declared independence from the Soviet Union, becoming the Republic of Belarus. the White-red-white flag was re-adopted, alongside the Pahonia. Alongside this, the CPB was banned, alongside the larger Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
A constitution was adopted in 1994, leading to the end of the period between the BSSR and modern Belarus.
Politics
[edit]Due to many of the political structures of Belarus being inherited from the BSSR, minus the CPSU's party politics, Belarus between 1991 and 1994 acted as a Parliamentary republic with the Speaker as Head of State. This position was held by Stanislaw Shushkevich at first, but was later taken up by Myechyslaw Hryb, a pro-Russian conservative aligned with the Supreme Council. [2]
In early 1992, the Belarusian Popular Front petitioned the government for early elections, but the Supreme Council rejected the petition, claiming massive irregularities, despite showcasing no evidence for such. As a concession to the opposition, parliamentary elections were set for March 1994. However, electoral reform failed to pass led to an ambiguous state for elections. Concerns stated by other countries, including the United States over continued delays in new elections were dismissed by the largely conservative Supreme Council as "interference in Belarusian affairs."[3]
Economy
[edit]Contrary to conditions in the other post-Soviet states, the Belarusian industrial sector initially had less severe decline, due to much of the government reluctant to adopt Shock therapy.[4] Belarus also assumed 4.13% of the Soviet Union's debt, which it would later transfer to Russia in exchange of soviet assets.[5]
Demographics
[edit]Ethnicity
[edit]| Ethnic group |
census 19894 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | |||||||||||||
| Belarusians | 7,904,623 | 77.9 | ||||||||||||
| Russians | 1,342,099 | 13.2 | ||||||||||||
| Poles | 417,720 | 4.1 | ||||||||||||
| Ukrainians | 291,008 | 2.9 | ||||||||||||
| Jews | 111,975 | 1.1 | ||||||||||||
| Armenians | 4,933 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Tatars | 12,436 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Romani | 10,762 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Azerbaijanis | 5,009 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Lithuanians | 7,606 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Others | 43,635 | 0.4 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 10,151,806 | |||||||||||||
| Source: [6] | ||||||||||||||
Religion
[edit]Orthodox christianity was (and still is) the main religion in Belarus. in the early 1990s, 60% of Belarus identified with Orthodoxy. Catholicism sat at about 8 to 20% of the population in the early 90s, with an estimate that 25% of them were ethnic Poles. This figure also includes the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church.[7]
In 1990, there were about 350 Protestant communities. [8]
References
[edit]- ^ Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States 1997 (3 ed.). Europa Publications Limited. November 1996. p. 180. ISBN 1-85743-025-5.
- ^ Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States 1997 (3 ed.). Europa Publications Limited. November 1996. p. 180. ISBN 1-85743-025-5.
- ^ Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States 1997 (3 ed.). Europa Publications Limited. November 1996. p. 181. ISBN 1-85743-025-5.
- ^ Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States 1997 (3 ed.). Europa Publications Limited. November 1996. p. 184. ISBN 1-85743-025-5.
- ^ Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States 1997 (3 ed.). Europa Publications Limited. November 1996. p. 188. ISBN 1-85743-025-5.
- ^ "All-Union Population Censuy 1989 years. National composition of the population by the republics of the USSR". Demoskos. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ^ Zaprudnik, Jan; Fedor, Helen (1995). "Language, Religion, Culture. §Religion". In Helen Fedor (ed.). Country studies – Belarus and Moldova. Part 1: Belarus. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 36–39. ISBN 978-0-8444-0849-1. (Alternative link to source.)
- ^ Zaprudnik, Jan; Fedor, Helen (1995). "Language, Religion, Culture. §Religion". In Helen Fedor (ed.). Country studies – Belarus and Moldova. Part 1: Belarus. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 36–39. ISBN 978-0-8444-0849-1. (Alternative link to source.)