Is Belarus called White Russia because it was a major area of opposition to the Revolution?
Squeezed between Russia, Poland, and Ukraine, Belarus has long been dominated by foreigners. Polish princes once ruled there. So did Lithuanian ones. By the late 18th century, Russian czars had annexed the place. Not until 1918 could Belarusian leaders proclaim an independent republic. That didn’t even last a year. In 1919, Bolsheviks and the Red Army took over, establishing the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1922, the BSSR became a founding member of the USSR. The so-called “White Russians” (Belarusians), “Little Russians” (Ukrainians), and “Great Russians” (Russians) were all Soviets now. The Russian translation for Belarus is White Russia. Flax is the plant from which linen is made. During the Tsarist regime, out of this linen, they made white clothes, and that is how Belarus got its name.
