The Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union or the Hramada (, ) was a socialist agrarian political party created in 1925 by a group of Belarusian deputies to the

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

that included Branislaw Tarashkyevich, Symon Rak-Michajłoŭski '' (be)'', Piotra Miatła '' (be)'', and the founder of ''Hramada'' Pavieł Vałošyn '' (be)''. '' o source of data provided' The group received logistical help from the Soviet Union, and financial aid from the Comintern.

Ideology

The main points of BPWU's program were: the democratic self-governance for West Belarus within Poland, introduction of an eight-hour

working day A business day normally means any day except a legal holiday. It may also mean a business day of operation, any of the days an organization operates. It depends on the local workweek which is dictated by local customs, religions, and business ...

, the recognition of the

Belarusian language Belarusian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language. It is one of the two Languages of Belarus, official languages in Belarus, the other being Russian language, Russian. It is also spoken in parts of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Polan ...

in Poland as a second official language, the cancellation of the "colonization of Belarus" by the Polish Osadniks, and the free distribution to peasants of land owned by landlords upon its confiscation. There was also a semi-official goal to unite all of Belarusians of West Belarus and East Belarus within one Soviet state.

Background

''Hramada'' was formed legally in July 1925. Its leaders were among prominent members of the Belarusian national liberation movement of the early 20th century: Symon Rak-Michajloŭski has previously been a high-ranking diplomat for the

Belarusian Democratic Republic The Belarusian People's Republic (BNR; , ), also known as the Belarusian Democratic Republic, was a state proclaimed by the Council of the Belarusian Democratic Republic in its Second Constituent Charter on 9 March 1918 during World War I. The ...

, Branisłaŭ Taraškievič is known as the creator of the first modern Belarusian grammar. The Polish authorities began to suppress the activities of the Hramada in late 1926 due to its policy coordination with the delegalized Communist Party of Western Belarus. Belarusian media in Poland faced increased pressure and censorship from the authorities.

Membership and structure

Membership numbers of the Hramada grew on a very fast pace with sometimes entire Belarusian villages becoming members. By November 1926 the party has enrolled 120,000 members, which is believed to be the largest political party in Belarusian history today, and one of the largest revolutionary-democratic organizations of its time. The ''Hramada'' had party cells in the following

powiat A ''powiat'' (; ) is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture (Local administrative unit, LAU-1 ormerly Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS-4 ...

s of the Nowogródek Voivodeship in Second Polish Republic: Baranovichi (Baranowicze), Bielsk, Valozhyn (Wołożyn), Vawkavysk (Wołkowysk), Vileyka (Wilejka),

Wilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

, Dzisna, Kosava,

Lida Lida is a city in Grodno Region, western Belarus, located west of Minsk. It serves as the administrative center of Lida District. As of 2025, it has a population of 103,262. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuanian name ''Ly ...

, Maladzyechna, Navahrudak, Pastavy,

Pinsk Pinsk (; , ; ; ; ) is a city in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pinsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is located in the historical region of Polesia, at the confluence of t ...

Slonim Slonim is a town in Grodno Region, in western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa (river), Isa rivers, southeast of Grodno. As of 2025, it has a population of ...

, Stouptsy and

Sokółka Sokółka (; , ) is a town in northeastern Poland, seat of the Sokółka County in Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is a busy rail junction located on the international Warsaw–Białystok–Grodno line, with additional connections which go to Suwałki a ...

. The Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union ''Hramada'' established several periodicals devoted not only to politics, but also to culture and business, including ''Zyccio bielarusa'', ''Bielaruskaja niva'', ''Bielaruskaja sprava'', ''Narodnaja sprava'', and ''Nasa sprava''. The total circulation of publications of the Hramada in early 1927 was above 10,000 copies.

Radicalization and dissolution

As the years went on, due to ongoing

polonization Polonization or Polonisation ()In Polish historiography, particularly pre-WWII (e.g., L. Wasilewski. As noted in Смалянчук А. Ф. (Smalyanchuk 2001) Паміж краёвасцю і нацыянальнай ідэяй. Польскі ...

of West Belarus (called

Kresy Eastern Borderlands (), often simply Borderlands (, ) was a historical region of the eastern part of the Second Polish Republic. The term was coined during the interwar period (1918–1939). Largely agricultural and extensively multi-ethnic with ...

macroregion A macroregion is a geopolitical subdivision that encompasses several traditionally or politically defined regions or countries. The meaning may vary, with the common denominator being cultural, economical, historical or social similarity within a ma ...

in interwar Poland) and increasingly discriminatory and nationalistic policies of the central Polish government, the Belarusian national movement in grew more loyal to the Soviet regime and its communist ideology. The Soviets also gained increasingly more control over the Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union, and gave the Belarusian national liberation movement in Poland a communist context. According to Polish sources in Belarus, the Hramada received not only logistical, but also physical help from the Soviet Union, and financial aid from the Comintern. The connection between ''Hramada'' and the delegalized Communist Party of Western Belarus aided by Moscow was inevitably discovered by the Polish authorities. On 15 January 1927 some top activists of ''Hramada'' were arrested under the charge of subversive anti-Polish activities. The trial of the leaders of ''Hramada'' became known as the ''Trial of the Fifty Six'' ().Алесь Пашкевіч. Сымон Рак-Міхайлоўскі: старонкі жыцця і дзейнасці.
(Alieś Paškievič, Symon Rak-Michajloŭski: staronki žyccia i dziejnasci.) The leaders including

Branisłaŭ Taraškievič Branislaw Adamavich Tarashkyevich (; 20 January 1892 – 29 November 1938) was a Belarusian public figure, politician, and linguist. He first standardized the modern Belarusian language in the early 20th century. The standard was later Russifie ...

, Symon Rak-Michajłoŭski, Piotra Miatła, and Pavieł Vałošyn, were each sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Polish authorities handed them over to the Soviets in 1930 (Rak-Michajłoŭski, Vałošyn, Miatła) and 1933 (Taraškievič) in exchange for political prisoners held in the USSR (including the West Belarusian journalist and playwright

Francišak Alachnovič Frantsishak Alyakhnovich (March 9, 1883 in Vilnius – March 3, 1944 in Vilnius, , (also Аляхнoвичъ, Франц Олехнович)) was a Belarusian writer, journalist descended from the Ruthenian nobility. Alyakhnovich was a theatric ...

). A few years later, all four former leaders of the ''Hramada'' were either executed by the Soviet regime as "Polish spies" or sent to perish in the

GULAG The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...

. In the aftermath of the party's de-legalisation, on February 3, 1927 a riot erupted in Kosava where the Soviet ''diversionist'' cell was already formed by Moscow with all required help. Polish police responded to attacks with fire, killing 6 people and wounding several dozens.

Historical role, legacy and criticism

According to historian Andrew Savchenko, by 1927 the ''Hramada'' organization was controlled entirely by agents deployed from Moscow, whose aim was to destabilize the region and recruit partisans. According to Polish media, the Hramada turned into a cover for infiltration of Poland by the Soviet Union. According to Savchenko, BPWU only theoretically demanded independence for Belarus, but in practice promoted only the idea of incorporating the ethnically Belarusian lands into the Soviet Union which meant yet another partition of Poland. The Russian agents attempted to isolate the Belarusian ethnic minority in Poland from the political process in the country. In turn, ''Hramada'' leaders did exactly what their Moscow advisers suggested they do, and disseminated Comintern propaganda, which resulted in the rapid growth of its rank and file. By March 1927 the party had 120,000 members. The membership of the Communist Party decreased at the same time by a thousand. In Belarus, the BPWU is viewed positively by both the official regime and the opposition. It is seen as a mass democratic party that emerged in West Belarus as a response to harsh ethnic discrimination of the Belarusians in mid-war Poland. It is being pointed out that the Hramada was persecuted by both the Polish regime and by the Stalinist USSR.

Notable members

, linguist, writer, later executed by the Soviets in 1938 * Symon Rak-Michajłoŭski '' (be-tarask)'', former diplomat of the

, later executed by the Soviets in 1938 * Michaś Mašara '' (be-tarask)'', writer and poet * Piotra Miatła '' (be-tarask)'', later sentenced to 10 years in GULAG, died in a concentration camp * Ryhor Šyrma '' (be-tarask)'', musician and composer * Pavieł Vałošyn '' (be-tarask)'', later executed by the Soviets in 1937 * Ludvika Sivickaja (alias ''Zośka Vieras'') '' (be-tarask)'', poet and writer, former member of the Rada BNR and delegate to the First All-Belarusian Congress * Radaslau Astrouski, later President of the Belarusian Central Rada and member of the Belarusian community in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

References

External links

*Гісторыя Беларусі (''Istoriya Belarusi, History of Belarus''), Volume V, "Ekoperspektiva", Minsk, (2006), , .
Чаму была разгромленая Беларуская Сялянска-Работніцкая Грамада?
– 150 пытанняў і адказаў з гісторыі Беларусі

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060301105107/http://kamunikat.net.iig.pl/www/knizki/historia/ajczyna/ajczyna_ustup.htm У новай айчыне. Штодзённае жыццё беларусаў Беласточчыны ў міжваенны перыяд.] {{DEFAULTSORT:Belarusian Peasants' And Workers' Union Hramada Agrarian socialist parties Belarusian independence movement Communist parties in Belarus Communist Party of Western Belorussia Defunct agrarian political parties in Europe Interwar Belarusian political parties in Poland Left-wing nationalist parties Nationalism in Poland Political parties established in 1925 Western Belorussia (1918–1939)