Editing Polonization (section)

=== Belarusians ===
Belarusians in Poland were a poorly educated group, 90% of them making their living by farming. The aspiration of the Belarusians was to achieve cultural autonomy, as well as fair [[land reform]].{{Sfn|Kaczmarek|2010|p=158}} The maximum number of people of Belarusian nationality in interwar Poland was about 2 million. It is difficult to determine a definite number because for the most part, they did not have an established sense of their national identity; they described their language as "[[Tutejszy]]" "simple speech" ({{langx|pl|mowa prosta}}) or "[[Poleshuks|Poleshuk]]" (in Polesia).{{Sfn|Shved|Grzybowski|2020|p=79}} Additionally, after two centuries of Polish influence, Catholic Belarusians naturally leaned toward Polish culture and often referred to themselves as "Poles" even though they spoke Belarusian.{{Sfn|Shved|Grzybowski|2020|p=79}}

The Polish state's policy toward them was not consistent. Initially, during the period of fighting over the eastern border, the activities of Belarusian activists were tolerated. However, this changed after the peace came. In 1924, the Law on Minority Education led to the closure of a huge part of the approximately 350{{Sfn|Kaczmarek|2010|p=158-159}} (or 514<ref name="BelSTU">{{cite web |last=Kosliakov |first=Vladimir |title=In the struggle for the reunification of the Belarusian people |script-title=ru:В борьбе за единство белорусского народа |url=http://www.belstu.by/about/history/vossoedinenie-zapadnoj-belarusi-s-bssr.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821201946/http://www.belstu.by/about/history/vossoedinenie-zapadnoj-belarusi-s-bssr.html |archive-date=21 August 2016 |access-date=26 July 2016 |work=к 75-летию воссоединения Западной Беларуси с БССР |publisher=Белорусский государственный технологический университет / Belarusian State Technological Institute |language=ru |df=dmy-all}}&nbsp;</ref>) existing Belarusian schools, opened mostly during the [[Ober Ost|German occupation]]. A 19 bilingual schools and just three elementary Belarusian schools remained.{{Sfn|Kaczmarek|2010|p=158-159}}{{Sfn|Shved|Grzybowski|2020|p=182}} Officials prevented the creation of new schools, despite meeting formal conditions.{{Sfn|Mironowicz|2007|p=63}}

The change came after the [[May Coup (Poland)|May Coup of 1926]]. Despite the abolition of the Belarusian [[Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly)|Belarusian Social Democratic Party]], for its contacts with the [[Communist International|Comintern]], there was a period of liberalization of educational policy. The new Minister of Education, Gustav Dobrotsky, ordered the dismissal of officials blocking the establishment of new schools, allowed new schools to open in Catholic communities as well, and organized Belarusian language courses for elementary school teachers. As a result, four Belarusian grammar schools and a dozen elementary schools were opened.{{Sfn|Mironowicz|2007|p=69-70}} The results, however, were poor. In 1928, there were only 69 schools with Belarusian language, all of them in [[Wilno Voivodeship (1926–1939)|Wilno]] and [[Nowogródek Voivodeship (1919–1939)|Nowogródek voivodeships]], very small number in comparison with 2 164 Polish schools existing there.{{sfn|Mironowicz|2007|p=72|ps=: "W najpomyślniejszym dla szkolnictw a białoruskiego roku 1928 istniało w Polsce 69 szkół w których nauczano języka białoruskiego. Wszystkie te placów ki ośw iatow e znajdow ały się w w ojew ództw ach w ileńskim i now ogródzkim, gdzie funkcjonowały 2164 szkoły polskie. Szkoły z nauczaniem języka białoruskiego, głównie utrakw istyczne, stanow iły niewiele ponad 3 procent ośrodków edukacyjnych na tym obszarze"}} The reversal of this policy came quickly, and after 1929 the number of Belarusian schools began to decline again. Of the Belarusian gymnasiums existing in [[Vilnius]], [[Novogrudok|Navahrudak]], [[Kletsk]] and [[Radashkovichy]], only the Vilnius gymnasium had survived to 1939.{{Sfn|Shved|Grzybowski|2020|p=182}} Belarusian schools often conducted classes in Russian, this was especially true of gymnasiums. This resulted from the significant [[Russification]] of the Belarusian [[intelligentsia]].{{Sfn|Walasek|2021|p=74}} The Polish officials often treated any Belarusian demanding schooling in Belarusian language as a Soviet spy and any Belarusian social activity as a product of a communist plot.{{sfn|Mironowicz|2007|p=93}}

[[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] also faced discrimination in interwar Poland.<ref name="BarGU">{{Cite web |url=http://bargu.by/3132-zahodnyaya-belarus-pad-uladay-polshchy-19211939-gg.html |title=Учебные материалы » Лекции » История Беларуси » ЗАХОДНЯЯ БЕЛАРУСЬ ПАД УЛАДАЙ ПОЛЬШЧЫ (1921—1939 гг.) |access-date=3 August 2016 |archive-date=20 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820033446/http://bargu.by/3132-zahodnyaya-belarus-pad-uladay-polshchy-19211939-gg.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> This discrimination was also targeting assimilation of Eastern Orthodox Belarusians.<ref name="tutby8mif">{{cite web | url =http://news.tut.by/society/415857.html | title =8 мифов о "воссоединении" Западной и Восточной Беларуси | last1 =Hielahajeu | first1 =Alaksandar | date =17 September 2014 | language =ru | trans-title =8 Myths about the "reunification" of West Belarus and East Belarus | access-date =26 July 2016 | archive-date =8 August 2016 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160808003344/http://news.tut.by/society/415857.html | url-status =dead }}</ref> The Polish authorities were imposing [[Polish language]] in Orthodox church services and ceremonies,<ref name="tutby8mif" /> initiated the creation of Polish Orthodox Societies in various parts of West Belarus ([[Slonim]], [[Bielastok|Białystok]], [[Vaŭkavysk]], [[Navahrudak]]).<ref name="tutby8mif" />

Belarusian Roman Catholic priests like Fr. [[Vincent Hadleŭski]]<ref name=tutby8mif/> who promoted Belarusian language in the church and Belarusian national awareness were also under serious pressure by the Polish regime and the leadership of the Catholic Church in Poland.<ref name=tutby8mif/> The Polish Catholic Church issued documents to priests prohibiting the usage of the [[Belarusian language]] rather than [[Polish language]] in Churches and Catholic Sunday Schools in West Belarus. A 1921 Warsaw-published instruction of the Polish Catholic Church criticized the priests introducing the Belarusian language in religious life: ''They want to switch from the rich Polish language to a language that the people themselves call simple and shabby''.{{sfn|Mironowicz|2007|p=45}}

The Belarusian civil society resisted Polonization and mass closure of Belarusian schools. The Belarusian Schools Society ({{langx|be|Таварыства беларускай школы}}), led by [[Branisłaŭ Taraškievič]] and other activists, was the main organization promoting education in Belarusian language in West Belarus in 1921–1937.

Compared to the (larger) [[Ukrainian minority in Poland|Ukrainian minority]] living in Poland, Belarusians were much less politically aware and active. Nevertheless, according to Belarusian historians, the policies by the Polish government against the population of West Belarus increasingly provoked protests<ref name=BarGU/> and armed resistance. In the 1920s, Belarusian partisan units arose in many areas of West Belarus, mostly unorganized but sometimes led by activists of Belarusian left wing parties.<ref name=BarGU/> In the spring of 1922, several thousands Belarusian [[partisan (military)|partisans]] issued a demand to the Polish government to stop the violence, to liberate [[political prisoners]] and to grant autonomy to West Belarus.<ref name=BarGU/> Protests were held in various regions of West Belarus until mid 1930s.<ref name=BarGU/>

The largest Belarusian political organization, the [[Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union]] (or, the Hramada), which demanded a stop to the Polonization and autonomy for West Belarus, grew more radicalized by the time. It received logistical help from the Soviet Union,<ref name="kresy24.pl">{vn|August 2016}{{cite web |url=http://kresy24.pl/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Glos_znad_Niemna_7-2011.pdf |title=Białostocki ulubieniec Stalina |publisher=Głos znad Niemna (Voice of the Neman weekly), Nr 7 (60) |work=Ogólnokrajowy tygodnik SZ "Związek Polaków na Białorusi" (Association of Poles of Belarus) |date=June 2011 |access-date=24 May 2014 |author=Andrzej Poczobut, Joanna Klimowicz |format=PDF file, direct download 1.79 MB |pages=6–7 of current document}} <!-- kresy24 is an irredentist nationalist website, hardly a credible source --></ref> and financial aid from the [[Comintern]].<ref name="Savchenko">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lmld75blKCwC&q=%22stated+goals+of+the+Hramada%22 |title=Belarus: A Perpetual Borderland |publisher=BRILL |author=Dr Andrew Savchenko |year=2009 |pages=106–107 |isbn=978-9004174481}}</ref> By 1927 Hramada was controlled entirely by agents from Moscow.<ref name="kresy24.pl"/> It was banned by the Polish authorities,<ref name="kresy24.pl"/> and further opposition to the Polish government was met with state-imposed sanctions once the connection between Hramada and the more radical pro-Soviet [[Communist Party of Western Belarus]] was discovered.<ref name="kresy24.pl"/> The Polish policy was met with armed resistance.<ref name="EtnoDictionary">''An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires''. Edited by James S. Olson. Page 95.[https://books.google.com/books?id=CquTz6ps5YgC&dq=Western+Belarus+orthodox+churches&pg=PP1]</ref>