How are Russia and Belarus different? Tell me all the wholesome cool factoids you know about this country, I need to be an expert on Belarus ASAP, tell me all I need to know about the culture, customs, language, the people
>>18022368>Wholesome cool factoids- The Belarusian language is less prevalent than Russian even in their own nation due to Russification efforts. It is not that there is a massive amount of ethnic Russians that make up a majority, but rather that it was so successfully assimilated linguistically. - The reason. Belarusians are ethnically, culturally, linguistically different from Russians in the first place is similar to that of Ukraine, and that is foreign rule and therefore influence. The land of “White Russia” (Belarus) was ruled by Lithuania, in the same way that “Little Russia” or “Ruthenia” was ruled by Poland (Ukraine), and this left only Rus’ polities centered around Moscow and Novgorod with independence, and over time the Rus tribes diverged into these three main modern day ethnic groups of Russian (Greater Rus), Belarusian (White Rus), and Ukrainian (Little Rus, Ruthenian, literally “Frontiersman”).- This Lithuanian rule, at various times in the medieval era, lead to fears that one would eventually overtake the other, with Lithuania becoming Slavicized and eventually converted to Orthodoxy due to demographics, while the Slavs feared the aggressive stance of the ruling Catholic Baltic Lithuanians would eventually assimilate them, and due to this cultural battle occurring in the lands of the Lithuanian Duchy, the identity of all the people living there became very fluid and interchangeable, with the lines between Lithuanian and White Russian becoming extremely blurred. - Belarus actually declared independence in the era of turmoil during the collapse of the Tsarist regime and WWI declaring an independent republic which also included parts of modern-day Poland and Russia. The flag used by this provisional republic, the white flag with a red stripe, is now used as a common symbol by the anti-Lukashenko pro-democracy movement in Belarus, rejecting the current flag which was bestowed upon the nation during communist times.
>>18022368They're balts larping as slavs. All slavs descend from balts to begin with, but proto slavs had 40-50% baltic component, whereas east slavs are 70%+ baltic, almost on the same level as modern balts, with belarusians being very similar to lithuanians. As a nation and people, belarusians have been lithuanian longer than they have been under Russia or "independent". Frankly, I think it's time we bring GDL back. Maybe even the whole union. Would certainly be a nice counterbalance to EU and Ziggerland.
>>18022405Did the white-red-white flag predate WW1?
all early slavic samples are the closest to belarusians. they are as pure as haisenberg's amphetamine
>>18022405funny enough Lukashenko early in his carrier was pro Belarusian but then stopped when he realized that it will be used to remove him and turn Belarus against Russia(what happened in Ukraine)
Belarus = White Rus'. No, not white as in skin; more like western Rus’.
>>18022987Technically yes, the flag was first used in 1918, designed in 1917, the color scheme was chosen from the Lithuanian Coat of Arms, on account of the fact that Lithuania historically ruled Belarus and that separation from Russia is what allowed them to develop a unique identity and separate ethnicity, sort of like Ukraine being ruled by Poland. So, while the flag was not used until the Russian Revolution, the inspiration for it goes back fo the medieval period. >>18023573True, Lukashenko sold. It is said he thought he’d become leader of Russia one day, being a Belarusian who would rule Russia, and his nation would influence theirs, as opposed to the other way around. When he realized that such ambitions were suicidal, he went in the exact opposite direction, and now Belarus comes closer every day to being independent-in-name-only.
>>18022405>Belarusians are ethnically, culturally, linguistically different from Russians in the first place is similar to that of Ukraine, and that is foreign rule and therefore influence.You say that as if local dialects don't gradually drift away from each other over the centuries with or without foreign influence. (The same also goes for culture but I'm focusing on language because it's my area of expertise.)
