The territory now known as Belarus emerged during the 9th to 12th centuries, from the all-encompassing Slavic territory known as Kievan Rus. As Kievan Rus splintered into smaller territiories, Lithuania and then Poland began to expand and acquire Belarusian lands over the course of the 13th century. Over the next two hundred years assimilation was gradual and the Belarusians were allowed a certain amount of autonomy, maintaining their own language and keeping their Orthodox religion. However, they took on the status of serfs. It wasn’t until 1596 that the Belarusian church was brought under the authority of the Vatican.
At the end of the 18th century and after numerous wars between Russia and Poland, Belarus was absorbed into Russia, and a long period of Russification began. The Russians increasingly saw Belarus as a western Russian state and tried to vanquish any sense of a Belarussian national identity, enforcing a crackdown which included the banning of the Belarusian language. During the 19th century the economy developed but despite the industrialization many Belarussians remained in the countryside both poor and illiterate. Their absence from positions of influence and the lengthy dominance by both the Poles and the Russians was beginning to take its toll, and the emergence of a distinct Belarussian nationality took time.
However the early 20th century saw a blossoming of nationalism in the country and a brief period of independence during WWI. This however was short-lived and the Red Army soon took control after the 1917 Russian Revolution, quick to create the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. During early Soviet rule there was once again a short period of Belarusian nationalism but this was quashed by Stalin. The same decade saw the brutal collectivization of agriculture, industrialization on a grand scale and mass purges, most of the latter taking place in the now infamous Kurapaty Forest outside Minsk.
WWII saw even more suffering in Belarus as it found itself on the front line, and the location for many battles. Misfortune struck again in 1986, as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster left a quarter of the country contaminated, the effects of which are still being felt to this day. Since 1994 Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an authoritarian iron fist, earning it the dubious honour of being Europe’s last dictatorship, and although not unpopular within the country, he has lead Belarus down an ever more uncertain path, ruling a country that finds itself increasingly isolated from both Moscow and the European Union.
Christian (majority Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic with minority Protestant), and some minority Jewish and Muslim communities.
Social conventions:If meeting a stranger, shaking hands is the usual form of greeting. Hospitality is part of the tradition and people are welcoming and friendly, although Belarusians are also known for their brusqueness. If you are invited to someone’s house, be sure to bring a small token as a gift. The same goes for power lunches - company gifts are well received. Avoid taking photographs of military or government installations. Take care not to use the ‘thumbs up’ sign to say ‘OK’; in Belarus this gesture this is considered rude. You may see people spitting in public – this is acceptable in Belarus. Belarus is quite a religious and conservative society, and homosexuality, whilst not illegal is kept very low-key so as not to invite unwanted attention.
The official languages are Belarusian and Russian. Other languages spoken in the country include Ukrainian and Polish.
