First All-Belarusian Congress

The First All-Belarusian Congress (Belarusian: Першы Ўсебеларускі кангрэс or Першая Ўсебеларуская канферэнцыя) was a congress of Belarusian political organisations and groups held in Minsk in December of 1917. The congress gathered 1872 delegates from all regions of Belarus and was violently dispersed by Bolshevik military.

The congress has played an important role in the consolidation of the Belarusian national liberation movement after the October Revolution in Russia. The council that was selected at the conference has in the coming months formed the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic and on 25 March 1918 declared the independence of Belarus.

By early 1917, Belarus has been part of the Russian Empire. Following the February and October Revolutions in Russia, the Bolsheviks who came to power have promised free self-determination to all nations living in the former Russian Empire, including possibility to gain full independence.

The Belarusian political organizations, representing regions with a Belarusian majority population, decided to hold a conference in order to work out a solidary position regarding the future of Belarus.

The Supreme Belarusian Council, a central platform consolidating Belarusian organizations, has been the organizer of the conference.

A total of 1872 delegates came to the conference. They represented all regions of Belarus. The delegates were representatives of various social and political organizations, local governments, trade unions, as well as of refugees to Russia, soldiers of the Russian army and diasporas in Petrograd and Moscow

The congress has elected the Council of the First All-Belarusian Congress of 71 members under the leadership of Jan Sierada. The Council, in turn, formed an executive committee which was to serve as the organizing body in the process of establishing a modern constitutional democratic Belarusian state.

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