Belarus is a country with an ancient and rich history. The first people to inhabit the territory of Belarus appeared 40,000 years ago. Indo-European tribes, ancestors of Slavs and Balts, began to settle on the Belarusian land in the 3d2nd millennium BC. The Belarusian ethnic group began to form in the 6th8th centuries. The ancestors of the Belarusians were the Krivichi, the Radimichi and the Dregovichi.
The first state formation came into being on the territory populated by the Krivichi the Principality of Polotsk, with its centre in the city of Polotsk, whose history dates back to 862 AD. At the end of the 10th century, two principalities emerged, Polotsk and Turov, both dependent on Kievan Russia. From the 13th to the 16th centuries, the territory of contemporary Belarus became a centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, one of the largest feudal monarchies in Europe.
Belarusian was the state language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and Novogrudok (Grodno Region) was its capital. In the 14th century, the capital moved to Vilnius. In the Medieval Period, the Belarusian land was known as Litva (Litvanie) while the name Belarus was rarely used and applied only to the north-eastern part of the current territory.
In 1569, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland united to form a confederation, Rzecz Pospolita. By the end of the18th century, the Belarusian territory was included into the Russian Empire.
In 1812 Belarus was invaded by Napoleon army. A few months later the French were defeated and driven westwards. To commemorate that event and to celebrate the centenary of the war against Napoleon the citizens of Vitebsk erected a monument on the Uspenski hill.
On January 1, 1919 the Revolutionary Workers and Peasants Government of Byelorussia proclaimed the formation of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.
By the end of the thirties a great number of large and small plants and factories had been built throughout the republic. Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Grodno, Vitebsk, Brest, Bobruisk, Orsha and other cities grew into important industrial centres. A lot of collective and state farms were organized, the national arts and literature, science and education developed rapidly. But the peaceful labour of the people was interrupted by a new war. From June 1941 to July 1944, Belarus was occupied by the Nazi troops. Belarus lost 2,200,000 people in World War II, more than a quarter of its population. Numerous Belarusian villages and towns were burned to ashes. But Belarus has restored its cities and rebuilt its economy after the war. Belarus is one of the UN founders.
A new era in the history of Belarus began on July 27, 1991 when the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus proclaimed its sovereignty. The USSR was dissolved and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) was created. Minsk was chosen as a location for the central bodies of the CIS.
On March 15, 1994 the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus was adopted and Belarus was declared a unitary, democratic, social, and law-governed state.
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Comprehension check
11. Answer the following questions.
1. When did the first people to inhabit the territory of Belarus appear?
2. What do you know about the ancestors of the Belarusians?
3. When was Rzecz Pospolita formed?
4. When was Belarus invaded by Napoleon?
5 What events took place on the territory of Belarus in the first half of the 20th century?
6. When did Belarus become an independent state?
12. Decide if the following statements are true or false? Say, why.
1. The ancestors of the Belarusians were the Anglo-Saxons.
2. In the 13th century the Grand Duchy of Lithuania annexed Belarus.
3. In 1659 Rzecz Pospolita was formed.
4. In 1812 Belarus was invaded by the fascist Germany.
5. On January 1, 1919 the Revolutionary Workers' and Peasants' Government of Byelorussia proclaimed the formation of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.
7. Before World War II the life of the Belarusians was unhappy.
8. World War II brought innumerable losses to the country.
9. Belarus proclaimed its sovereignty on July 27, 1991.
Vocabulary practice
13.Write the derivatives of the following words.
| history, populate, invade, organize, develop, occupy, independent, locate, annex, settle, form, emerge, move, commemorate, celebrate, interrupt, restore |
Reading
14.Read the text and answer the following questions.
1. What are the most popular holidays in Belarus?
2. Why is Remembrance Day a great holiday for all Belarusians?
3. Why is the Ivan Kupala holiday Kupalle considered to be one of the most mysterious holidays in Belarus?
4. What do you think the typical features of the Belarusian national character are?
