Aleh Hardzijenka. The political rift of Belarusian emigration in 1940th

In the spring of 1945, after Nazi Germany’s capitulation, all Belarusian organizations in Western Europe were disbanded for the fear of accusations in collaboration with the Nazis. In September 1945 Belarusian Central Council (BCR) which was considered anti-Soviet intellectuals suspended its activities as an emigration government. However, attempts to create a new single organization that would take into account the interests of different groups ofpolitical emigrants failed. From the end of 1945 some public figures, united round Mikola Abramčyk, initiated the reconstruction of the Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR). Part of emigration, refused to support that initiative and grouped around the president of the Belarusian Central Council Radaslaŭ Astroŭski. The two groups were not able to find a compromise in 1946-1947. The significant reasons for that disunion were «linguistic conflict» and the «church conflict» — attitude to the situation of Belarusian Orthodox Church in exile and the ways of revival of autocephalous church.

In December 1947 the activitiesis of BNR were regenerated, and then, in March 1948, BCR was reconstructed as well. The political rift of emigration influenced the activities of Belarusian organizations in almost all countries in the West, where these organizations existed, and that influence did not lose its force until 1995.

Indeed, both camps were in opposition to Bolshevism and refused to recognize the existence of the BSSR, considering it a colony of Moscow. However, the roots of the disunion were in personal ambitions of leaders rather than in ideological contradictions of their programs.