Editing Pyotr Masherov (section)

== Legacy ==
[[File:Belarus-Minsk-Masherov Avenue-11.jpg|thumb|Masherov Avenue (since 2005 [[Victors Avenue]]), pictured here in 2006, was named after Masherov following his death in 1980]]
Masherov's legacy has been profoundly felt in Belarus, owing to the economic reforms begun under his leadership,<ref name=":0" /> as well as recognition of the Second World War's impact on Belarusian society. Masherov was responsible for the construction of the monument to the [[Khatyn massacre]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Solly|first=Meilan|date=22 March 2021|title=Remembering the Khatyn Massacre|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-1943-khatyn-massacre-became-symbol-nazi-atrocities-eastern-front-180977280/|access-date=24 July 2021|website=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref> the [[Mound of Glory]] and the [[Minsk Metro]]. Masherov also supported the production of [[Elem Klimov]]'s film [[Come and See]], overruling lower functionaries who had rejected Klimov's proposal and personally greenlighting filming.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aleshicheva|first=Tatiana|date=9 July 2020|title=Kill Hitler: Why Come and See Influenced Spielberg and Tarantino|url=https://kinoreporter.ru/ubit-gitlera-pochemu-idi-i-smotri-povliyal-na-spilberga-i-tarantino/|access-date=24 July 2021|website=Kinoreporter}}</ref>

Following Masherov's death, the newly created Masherov Avenue in Minsk was named in his honour before being changed in 2005 to its present name, [[Victors Avenue]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://charter97.org/en/news/2018/9/13/305165/|title = Exclusive Details of Masherov's Death: Accident or Murder?}}</ref> In 2018 the [[Belarusian Left Party "A Just World"]] proposed renaming the Minsk Metro in Masherov's honour, explaining that it was due to his persistence that the metro was constructed.<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 April 2018|title=Communists propose naming metro in honour of Masherov|url=https://news.tut.by/economics/587558.html?vk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408073353/https://news.tut.by/economics/587558.html?vk|archive-date=8 April 2018|access-date=24 July 2021|website=[[TUT.by]]}}</ref>

=== Russification ===
Among the most significant controversies regarding Masherov's rule and legacy is what role he played in the [[Russification of Belarus]], with particular attention being paid to the decline of Belarusian-language education and respective increase of Russian-language teaching. While both those who view him as having perpetuated Russification and those who oppose such a view agree that he was not a supporter of [[Russian nationalism]], those with a more critical view note that his rule was marked by increased centralisation of power and the growth of the Russian language in Belarusian society. Belarusian journalist and pro-democratic politician [[Siarhei Navumchyk]] has credited this growth to Masherov's status as a "sincere communist" who believed in cultural integration, and notes that while he does not lack responsibility for advancing Russification, the process began under [[Kirill Mazurov]]. More critically, journalist {{ill|Vital Cyhankoŭ|be|Віталь Аляксеевіч Цыганкоў}} has described Masherov as being "first place" among republican-level leaders in advancing Russification. Conversely, Cyhankoŭ also notes that Masherov worked to protect and strengthen the position of Belarusian-language literature within the Soviet Union.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Soŭs |first=Hanna |date=10 February 2018 |title=Стагодзьдзе Машэрава: народны герой ці выканаўца волі Крамля |trans-title=Century of Mašeraŭ: People's Hero or Executor of the Kremlin's Will? |url=https://www.svaboda.org/a/29027599.html |access-date=4 March 2024 |work=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |language=be}}</ref>

Historian Natalya Chernyshova, while presenting Masherov's decision to limit Belarusian-language education in a critical light, has argued that his background as a part of the peasantry influenced him to switch from Belarusian to Russian, reflecting his status as "the ultimate model of upward social mobility" in Belarus.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chernyshova |first=Natalya |date=Summer 2023 |title=Between Soviet and Ethnic: Cultural Policies and National Identity Building in Soviet Belarus under Petr Masherau, 1965-80 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/904385 |journal=Kritika: Explorations in Russian & Eurasian History |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=551–552 |doi=10.1353/kri.2023.a904385 |via=Project MUSE}}</ref> Similarly to Cyhankoŭ, Chernyshova notes the divergences between Masherov's positions on education and on literature, noting his support for the {{ill|Union of Belarusian Writers|be|Саюз беларускіх пісьменнікаў}} and his efforts to have writers [[Yanka Kupala]], [[Yakub Kolas]], and [[Maksim Bahdanovič]] publicly memorialised at what he felt was significant political risk. Dissident writer [[Aliaksei Karpiuk]], who was expelled from the Communist Party for his criticism of local officials, similarly credited Masherov with restoring his party membership and fighting the central Soviet government's targeting of both Karpiuk himself and fellow writer [[Vasil Bykaŭ]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chernyshova |first=Natalya |date=Summer 2023 |title=Between Soviet and Ethnic: Cultural Policies and National Identity Building in Soviet Belarus under Petr Masherau, 1965-80 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/904385 |journal=Kritika: Explorations in Russian & Eurasian History |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=554–557 |doi=10.1353/kri.2023.a904385 |via=Project MUSE}}</ref>