Editing History of Belarus (section)

===Belarusian Soviet Republic and West Belarus===
{{See also|Soviet repression in Belarus}}
Some time in 1918 or 1919, [[Sergiusz Piasecki]] returned to Belarus, joining Belarusian anti-Soviet units, the "Green Oak" (in Polish, ''Zielony Dąb''), led by [[Ataman]] [[Wiaczesław Adamowicz]] ([[pseudonym]]: J. Dziergacz). When on 8 August 1919, the [[Polish Army]] captured [[Minsk]], Adamowicz decided to work with them. Thus Belarusian units were created, and Piasecki was transferred to a [[Warsaw]] school of [[infantry]] [[cadet]]s. In the summer of 1920, during the [[Polish–Soviet War]], Piasecki fought in the [[Battle of Radzymin (1920)|Battle of Radzymin]].

The frontiers between Poland, which had established an independent government after World War I, and the former Russian Empire were not recognized by the [[League of Nations]]. Poland's [[Józef Piłsudski]], who envisioned the formation of an [[Intermarium]] federation as a Central and East European bloc that would be a bulwark against Germany to the west and Russia to the east, carried out a [[Kiev offensive (1920)|Kiev offensive]] into Ukraine in 1920. This met with a Red Army counter-offensive that drove into Polish territory almost to [[Warsaw]], Minsk itself was re-captured by the Soviet Red Army on 11 July 1920 and a new [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic]] was declared on 31 July 1920. Piłsudski, however, halted the Soviet advance at the [[Battle of Warsaw (1920)|Battle of Warsaw]] and resumed his eastward offensive. Finally the [[Treaty of Riga]], ending the Polish–Soviet War, divided Belarus between Poland and Soviet Russia. Over the next two years, the [[People's Republic of Belarus]] prepared a [[Slutsk Defence Action|national uprising]], ceasing the preparations only when the [[League of Nations]] recognized the Soviet Union's western borders on 15 March 1923. The Soviets terrorised Western Belarus, the most radical case being [[Soviet raid on Stołpce]]. Poland created [[Border Protection Corps]] in 1924.

The Polish part of Belarus was subject to [[Polonization]] policies (especially in the 1930s), while the Soviet Belarus was one of the original republics which formed the [[USSR]]. For several years, the national culture and language enjoyed a significant boost of revival in the Soviet Belarus{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}. A [[Polish Autonomous District]] was also formed. This was however soon ended during the [[Great Purge]], when almost all prominent Belarusian national [[intelligentsia]] were executed, many of them buried in [[Kurapaty]]. Thousands were deported to Asia. As the result of [[Polish operation of the NKVD]] tens of thousands people of many nationalities were killed. Belarusian [[orthography]] was [[Narkamauka|Russified]] in 1933 and use of Belarusian language was discouraged as exhibiting anti-soviet attitude.<ref name=Janowicz>[[Sokrat Janowicz|Janowicz, Sokrat]] (1999). ''Forming of the Belarussian nation''. RYTM. pp. 247–248.</ref>

In [[West Belarus]], up to 30,000 families of Polish [[veteran]]s (''[[osadnik]]s'') were settled in the lands formerly belonging to the Russian [[tsar]] family and Russian aristocracy.<ref>{{in lang|pl}} Stobniak-Smogorzewska, Janina (2003) ''Kresowe osadnictwo wojskowe 1920–1945'' (''Military colonization of Kresy 1920–1945''), Warsaw, RYTM, {{ISBN|83-7399-006-2}}</ref> Belarusian representation in [[Polish parliament]] was reduced as a result of the 1930 elections. Since the early 1930s, the Polish government introduced a set of policies designed to Polonize all minorities (Belarusians, Ukrainians, Jews, etc.){{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}. The usage of Belarusian language was discouraged and the Belarusian schools were facing severe financial problems. In spring of 1939, there already was neither single Belarusian official organisation in Poland nor a single exclusively Belarusian school (with only 44 schools teaching Belarusian language left).<ref>{{in lang|pl}} Ogonowski, Jerzy (2000) ''Uprawnienia językowe mniejszości narodowych w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 1918–1939'' (''The Language Rights of National Minorities in the Second Republic of Poland, 1918–1939'', Polish with an English summary), Wydawnictwo Sejmowe, Warsaw, pp. 164–165</ref>