Belarus: Communist Or Not?

Belarus has had a tumultuous political history, with its territory being fought over by various powers for centuries. During the Soviet era, Belarus was a Marxist-Leninist single-party socialist republic, with the Communist Party of Byelorussia as the sole legal governing party. After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, Belarus declared its independence and became the Republic of Belarus.

Since 1994, Belarus has been ruled by President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been characterised as Europe's last dictator. Lukashenko has been accused of authoritarianism, human rights violations, and suppressing free speech and the press. While he is not considered a communist in the orthodox sense, his policies and style of governance are reminiscent of the Soviet era, with a state-controlled economy and strong government control over the market.

The Communist Party of Belarus (CPB) is a Marxist-Leninist political party that supports the government of President Alexander Lukashenko

The Communist Party of Belarus (CPB) is a Marxist-Leninist political party that has supported the government of President Alexander Lukashenko since its foundation in 1996. The CPB is a pro-presidential party that has endorsed Lukashenko in multiple elections.

The CPB has had more seats in the National Assembly of Belarus than any other party since the 2000 Belarusian parliamentary election, the first national election it participated in. However, most seats in the Belarusian legislature are held by independent politicians. The CPB has attributed Lukashenko's re-election to the "natural consequence of the economic growth of the republic since he came to power in 1994."

The CPB has helped organize rallies in Minsk to celebrate Lukashenko's election victory, with members of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus—an affiliate of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)—in attendance. The WFTU has expressed its solidarity with the workers and people of Belarus, calling on them to struggle for their rights and improve their working and living conditions.

During the 2020-21 Belarusian protests, the CPB participated in a meeting in support of Lukashenko. The party's support for the president resulted in him appointing 17 of its members to the country's upper house, the Council of the Republic of Belarus, in 2012.

While the CPB supports Lukashenko, the Party of Communists of Belarus (PCB) was one of the major opposition parties in the country. The PCB was formed after the CPB split in two in 1996, and it has been criticised by the CPB for being "pro-Western."

The CPB is the only legal governing party during the Soviet era

Belarus has a long history of communism, dating back to the early 20th century. During the Soviet era, specifically from 1918 to 1991, Belarus was under communist rule, with the Communist Party of Byelorussia (CPB) as the sole legal governing party. The CPB was a Marxist-Leninist party, guided by the political ideas of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin. This single-party socialist republic aimed to control all aspects of government and society, infusing its political, economic, and social policies with communist ideology.

The CPB was established on December 30, 1918, during the Sixth Regional Conference of the North-Western District of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). It played a crucial role in the formation of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR) on January 1, 1919, which served as a buffer zone between Poland and Russia. The Byelorussian SSR was one of the four founding republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922.

During the 1920s, the CPB actively worked to eliminate rival parties, such as the Socialist Revolutionary Party and the Bund. They controlled the membership of various councils (soviets) and ensured that key positions were filled by communist party officials. The CPB also oversaw the implementation of economic policies like War Communism and, later, the New Economic Policy (NEP).

However, by the late 1920s, a shift occurred, and the CPB began to fight against what it deemed "bourgeois nationalism" in Belarus. This resulted in the persecution of Belarusian scientists, writers, artists, and even employees of the People's Commissariats. A purge was initiated to eliminate so-called "national deviationists," marking the end of the period of Belarussification and the start of Russification.

In the following decades, the CPB continued to exert tight control over various aspects of Belarusian society. The Great Purge of the 1930s, for instance, led to the arrest and execution of thousands of people in Belarus, including intellectuals and political dissidents. The CPB's influence persisted until the late 1980s when Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), attempted to reduce the party's involvement in economic affairs.

The CPB's dominance came to an end with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The party was temporarily suspended in 1991, and its leadership was abolished. However, it later regrouped and renamed itself the Party of Communists of Belarus (PCB), becoming the umbrella organization for various communist parties and pro-Russian groups in the country.

The CPB split into two in 1996—the Party of Belarusian Communists and the Communist Party of Belarus

Belarus has had a complex political history, with its communist past playing a significant role in shaping the country's present-day landscape. The country's communist roots can be traced back to the early 20th century, when it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Russian Empire.

Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Byelorussia was founded in December 1918 as part of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). This marked the beginning of communist rule in the region, which would last for several decades.

During the Soviet era, Belarus was known as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR) and was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. The Communist Party of Byelorussia (CPB) was the sole legal governing party during this time, permitted according to the constitution. The CPB was a Marxist–Leninist party, embracing the ideas of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin.

However, in the late 1980s, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) began to withdraw from day-to-day economic affairs under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. This marked a shift in the political landscape, as Belarus started to move away from its strictly communist past.

In 1990, Belarus declared its sovereignty, and in 1991, it became an independent republic. The Communist Party of Belarus and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union were temporarily suspended following the August 1991 coup attempt in Moscow. The activities of the Communist Party of Belarus were suspended from August 1991 to February 1993.

In 1996, the Communist Party of Belarus split into two factions: the Party of Belarusian Communists and the Communist Party of Belarus. The Party of Belarusian Communists, also known as the Party of Communists of Belarus (PCB), became the umbrella organization for the country's communist parties and pro-Russian groups. It was formally registered in December 1991. On the other hand, the Communist Party of Belarus (CPB) was created in 1996 and supported the government of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Since then, the two parties have had differing levels of influence and popularity in the country. The Communist Party of Belarus has consistently held more seats in the National Assembly than any other party since the 2000 parliamentary election. However, the Party of Belarusian Communists was one of the major opposition parties in the country.

The CPB is part of the Union of Communist Parties and the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties

The Communist Party of Belarus (CPB) is a Marxist-Leninist political party in Belarus. It was created in 1996 and has supported the government of President Alexander Lukashenko. The CPB has enjoyed more seats in the National Assembly of Belarus than any other party since the 2000 Belarusian parliamentary election. However, most seats in the Belarusian legislature are held by independent politicians.

The CPB is part of the Union of Communist Parties - Communist Party of the Soviet Union (SKP - KPSS) and the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP). The IMCWP is an annual conference attended by communist and workers' parties from several countries. It originated in 1998 when the Communist Party of Greece invited other communist and workers' parties to participate in an annual conference to share experiences and issue joint declarations.

The CPB enjoys relations with other communist parties in post-Soviet states and throughout the world to a much greater extent than the Party of Communists of Belarus (PCB), which is affiliated with the Party of the European Left and is considered "pro-Western" by many in the region. The CPB's participation in the IMCWP and its connections with other communist parties around the world reflect its commitment to international communist solidarity and its influence extends beyond Belarus's borders.

The CPB's foreign policy goals include strengthening national security through the development of the Belarus-Russia Union State and promoting the political and economic independence of voluntarily renewed Union nations. This aligns with Belarus's historical ties with Russia and other post-Soviet states.

The CPB obtained 5.99% of the votes and 8 out of 110 seats in the House of Representatives in the 2004 parliamentary election

Belarus has a history of communism. During Soviet times, the country had a Marxist–Leninist single-party socialist republic, guided by the political ideas of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin. The sole governing party was the Communist Party of Byelorussia (CPB).

The Communist Party of Belarus (CPB) was created in 1996 and supports the government of President Alexander Lukashenko. In the 2004 parliamentary election, the CPB obtained 5.99% of the votes and 8 out of 110 seats in the House of Representatives. This was the first national election the party participated in. The CPB has had more seats in the National Assembly of Belarus than any other party since the 2000 Belarusian parliamentary election. However, it is important to note that most seats in the Belarusian legislature are held by independent politicians.

The CPB is a pro-presidential party, while the Party of Communists of Belarus (PCB) was one of the major opposition parties in the country. The PCB was formed after the CPB was banned following the August 1991 coup d'état. The PCB became the umbrella organization for Belarus's communist parties and pro-Russian groups.

The CPB's main foreign policy goal is to strengthen national security through the development of the Belarus-Russia Union State and the phase reconstruction of voluntarily renewed Union nations, enhancing its political and economic independence.

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