The Belarusian Socialist Assembly, BSA ( be, Беларуская сацыялістычная грамада, translit=Bielaruskaja sacyjalistyčnaja hramada, BSH) was a revolutionary party in the Belarusian territory of the Russian Empire. It was established in 1902 as the Belarusian Revolutionary Party, renamed in 1903.''Belarus: A Denationalized Nation'', by David R. Marples (1999) , p. 3, 4. The BSA had branches in Minsk, Vilnius and Saint Petersburg. After the

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...

in Russia, the political activity in Belarus increased, and in summer of 1917 the BSA gave rise to the

Communist Party of Byelorussia The Communist Party of Byelorussia (CPB; russian: Коммунистическая партия Белоруссии; be, Камуністычная партыя Беларусі) was the ruling communist party of the Byelorussian Soviet Socia ...

and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party. On March 19, 1918, on the initiative of the BSA, the

Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic ( be, Рада Беларускай Народнай Рэспублікі, Рада БНР, Rada BNR) was the governing body of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Since 1919, the Rada BNR has be ...

became a temporary, short-lived parliament in the

Belarusian Democratic Republic The Belarusian People's Republic (BNR; be, Беларуская Народная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika, ), or Belarusian Democratic Republic, was a state proclaimed by the Council of the Belarusian Democratic R ...

. Most of the BNR Council were members of the BSA. Russian Bolsheviks had a negative attitude towards the BSA. Vladimir Lenin described BSA as a "nationalist '' petite bourgeoisie'' party of left-populist orientation".

Jan Zaprudnik Jan Zaprudnik (Belarusian: ''Янка Запруднік'' / Janka Zaprudnik, real name Siarhej Vilčycki Сяргей Вільчыцкі; 9 August 1926 – 26 May 2022) was a Belarusian-American historian and publicist. He was also one of the ...

, "Belarus: At a Crossroads" (1993, ), p. 79 The 2nd Congress of the Soviets of the Western Province (Russia) declared the Council of the Belarusian People's Republic

counter-revolutionary A counter-revolutionary or an anti-revolutionary is anyone who opposes or resists a revolution, particularly one who acts after a revolution in order to try to overturn it or reverse its course, in full or in part. The adjective "counter-revoluti ...

and anti-

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. After the Polish-Soviet War, many activists of the BSA have found themselves in Poland, which acquired

Western Belarus Western Belorussia or Western Belarus ( be, Заходняя Беларусь, translit=Zachodniaja Bielaruś; pl, Zachodnia Białoruś; russian: Западная Белоруссия, translit=Zapadnaya Belorussiya) is a historical region of mo ...

, and they struggled for the Belarusian autonomy.

Notable members

Vaclau Lastouski Vaclaŭ Justynavič Lastoŭski (, , russian: Вацлав Усти́нович Ласто́вский), 8 November 1883 – 23 January 1938) was a leading figure of the Belarusian independence movement in the early 20th century and the Prime Min ...

, politician and historian * Jazep Losik, academic and member of the

* Jazep Mamońka, politician and member of the

Alaiza Pashkevich Alaiza Pashkevich (or Ciotka; be, Алаіза Пашкевіч, ''Alaiza Paškievič''; 15 July 1876 – 5 February 1916) was a Belarusian poet and political activist of Belarusian national-democratic rebirth.Jan Sierada Ivan Mikitavič Sierada ( — after 19 November 1943), better known by the pseudonyms of Jan or Janka was a Belarusian statesman, pedagogist and writer who served as the first president of the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. B ...

, politician * Branislaŭ Taraškievič, linguist * Vasil Zacharka, the second president of the

Belarusian People's Republic The Belarusian People's Republic (BNR; be, Беларуская Народная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika, ), or Belarusian Democratic Republic, was a state proclaimed by the Council of the Belarusian Democratic R ...

* Paluta Badunova, politician, the only woman at the Council (Rada) of the Belarusian Democratic Republic * Fabijan Šantyr, poet

References

{{Authority control 1900s in Belarus 1910s in Belarus Defunct political parties in Belarus Belarusian independence movement Belarusian National Republic Political parties established in 1902 Political parties disestablished in 1918 Political parties of minorities in Imperial Russia Political parties of the Russian Revolution Socialist parties in Belarus