Belarusian People's Republic

Belarusian People's Republic
Белару́ская Наро́дная Рэспу́бліка Bielaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika
Unrecognized state
1918–1919
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem Belarusian: Ваяцкі марш "Come, We Shall March in Joint Endeavour"
Land claimed by the BNR at the time.
Capital		1918  Minsk · Vilna 1918–1919  Hrodna
Capital-in-exile		1919–1923  Kaunas 1923–1945  Prague 1948–1970  Paris 1970–1983  Toronto 1983–present  New York
Languages		Belarusian
Government		Republic
Chairman (President) of the Rada BNR
•	1918–1919	Jan Sierada
•	1919	Piotra Krečeŭski
Chairperson-in-exile
•	1919–1928 (first)	Piotra Krečeŭski
•	1997–present	Ivonka Survilla
Historical era		World War I
•	Independence	March 25, 1918
•	Soviet invasion	January 5, 1919
Currency		Ruble
Preceded by Succeeded by Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Lithuanian–Belorussian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic Second Polish Republic Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic
Today part of		Belarus

The Belarusian People's Republic (Belarusian: Белару́ская Наро́дная Рэспу́бліка, [bʲeɫaˈruskaja naˈrodnaja rɛsˈpublʲika], transliterated as Bielaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika, BNR), historically referred to as the White Ruthenian Democratic Republic (German: Weißruthenische Volksrepublik;) was a failed attempt to create a Belarusian state on the territory controlled by the German Imperial Army during World War I. The BNR existed for ten months in 1918. The only diplomatic mission was formed by its founders in Berlin.

The BNR was declared on March 25, 1918 in Minsk, but was replaced by a Communist government on January 5, 1919. It became known also as the "Belarusian Democratic Republic". It ceased to exist when Minsk was captured by the forces of Bolshevik Russia and the Byelorussian SSR was founded in Minsk. Two years later, the founders of the BNR formed a government in exile abroad. As of 2016, the Rada (Council) of the Belarusian People's Republic is the oldest still existing government-in-exile.

The Belarusian People's Republic was declared on the territory of modern-day Belarus three weeks after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on 3 March 1918 between the new Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia and the Central Powers in the border city of Brest-Litovsk.

After the 1917 February Revolution in Russia, active discussions started in Belarus about either gaining autonomy within the new democratic Russia or declaring independence. Representatives of most Belarusian regions and of different (mostly left-wing) political powers, including the Belarusian Socialist Assembly, the Christian democratic movement and the General Jewish Labour Bund, formed a Belarusian National Council in late 1917. The Council started working on establishing Belarusian governmental institutions. Both the Bolsheviks and Germans refused to recognize it and interfered in its activity. However, the Germans saw an independent Belarus as part of the implementation of their plan for buffer states within Mitteleuropa. The Bolsheviks had negotiations with the Belarusian Democratic Republic regarding an eventual recognition, but later decided instead to establish a Soviet puppet government of Belarus - the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus.