In a few weeks, the election to the fourth convocation of the Coordination Council will take place. On this occasion, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Education and Science, Pavel Tereshkovich, turns to history to highlight the importance of this process.
“In the spring of 1917, Belarus found itself in an extremely dramatic situation. The front line divided it into two parts. About one million Belarusians were in the army, and more than one and a half million became refugees as a result of forced evacuation to the east. The February Revolution opened up opportunities for broad civic activity. The Provisional Government declared the right of nations to self-determination. Belarusian patriots understood that the time to act had come.
In March and July, congresses of national organizations took place. In November, a decision was made to convene the All-Belarusian Congress.
It became the first national prototype of a parliament. The sessions lasted almost two weeks. They were attended by 1,872 delegates — representatives of councils of workers’, peasants’, and soldiers’ deputies, zemstvos, professional organizations, military committees, refugee communities, as well as national minorities from all parts of Belarus.
On December 13, 1917, the Council of the Congress was elected — 71 people in total, who received a mandate to act on its behalf. Like parliamentarians, the delegates worked in factions, commissions, and sections. At the meetings of the cultural and educational section, a proposal by Professor Jauchim Karski to open a Belarusian university was approved.
However, the key issue remained self-determination. After heated debates, a compromise decision was adopted: to form the All-Belarusian Council of Peasants’, Soldiers’, and Workers’ Deputies in order to save the country, establish a republic to form democracy, and prevent separation from Russia.
It would seem that such a decision should have satisfied the Bolshevik government, which had come to power as a result of the October coup and also proclaimed the right of nations to self-determination. But no.
Bolshevik structures in Belarus acted differently. They created their own governing bodies, in which Belarusians made up only about 2%. They did not recognize Belarusians as a distinct people and referred to Belarus as the ‘Western Region’. They had no intention of allowing any self-determination. On the night of December 18, 1917, Bolshevik troops dispersed the Congress.
The Council it created continued its work underground. Meanwhile, in Brest, negotiations were underway between the Bolshevik government and Germany on concluding peace. They were unsuccessful, and after their collapse, on February 18, the German army launched an offensive to the east.
The Minsk Bolsheviks quickly realized that this was not the same as dispersing a peaceful congress. By the next day, they were gone from the city, while German troops entered Minsk only on February 21.
And it turned out that the Council — like an axe under the bench — was a very necessary thing. On February 20, 1918, its executive committee issued the First Charter, in which it declared itself the supreme temporary authority in Belarus. This was followed by the Second and Third Charters, the latter proclaiming the independence of Belarus. But that is a topic for a separate discussion.
Why am I saying all this? Today, many are dissatisfied with the Coordination Council. I also have questions about it. But we have no other one now. If you want it not to be a source of embarrassment, elect proven, honest, and professional people. What matters is that it exists. Because we can’t know when and how it will be needed. But that moment will come — I am certain of it”.
