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The ''Russification''.
When Russia tried to turn my people into Russians.
She didn't want us to practice a different religion, to speak a different language and to have a different historical memory. Fuck, you don't even know how much of my country's culture was lost back then. It's like, she fucking tried to ''erase'' me.

[ Um...so. I wanted to give you an accurate answer so I did some research. I don't even know anymore. I hope this is okay...
Ugh. It took me some time to find a site where I could understand things better X'D because wikipedia is confusing. //shot
Haha, I doubt you'll read this all but meh.

Catherine II, the tsarina of Russia, found out that more than a military occupation was needed to make Belarus a part of the Russian empire. She also found out that Belarusians were practicing a different religion, were speaking a different language and had a different historical memory. Over the course of the 19th century Russia tried to alter these differences and turn Belarusians into Russians.

During the 19th century the Russians attempted to assimilate the lands they had gained from the partitions. The initial steps towards Russification were taken in the 1820s with continual increases for the next hundred years. It's ineffectiveness frustrated the tsars and strengthened the Belarusians' resolve.
The efforts to assimilate the Belarusians actually contributed to their own national development...in a way. The more pressure the Russians applied, the more the Belarusians strove to keep their culture alive.

Unrest was almost constant in Belarus during the 19th century. Two of the major periods of unrest were known as "the 1830-31 insurrection" and "the 1863 uprising." The 1830-31 insurrection began among the Poles and spread to the Belarusians. But it was easily crushed by the Russian army. After the insurrection the tsar lost trust in the Belarusians and took harsh steps to Russify the area, and guarantee the loyalty of the people.
Later, Kastus Kalinovski, a writer known for his revolutionary views, became the leader in Belarus. Many fierce battles were fought, but in the end the Russians prevailed again, leading to harsh punishments of the rebels. However, the uprising started a wave of national awakening throughout Belarus that the Russians could not stop.

However, outside of Belarus, the national awakening was hardly noticeable though for Belarusian intellectuals it was of momentous proportions.
There were also many writers who either began to translate or compose stories, poems, and plays into the Belarusian language.
The national awakening led to demands for independence from Russia. Belarusians were able to create their own state, for a short period of time, during the Russian civil war in 1918.
But, the Bolsheviks soon took over Belarus and renamed it the Belarusian Socialist Soviet Republic. Thus Russian imperialism was replaced by Soviet imperialism. ]
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ReniaKitty's avatar
I am totally proud to be Belarusian! ^^