Belarus

From past to Present

There is a common opinion that there are no social networks in Belarus because of the undemocratic regime or that such structures are identified only with the social [Page 69]networks on the Internet. However, from a historical perspective, one can find many interesting examples of such networks. One of the most significant social networking examples occurred during World War II, when Belarus was fighting against fascist Germany in the strength of the Soviet Union, 1941–45. As all Belarus was occupied at the time, partisan troops were formed in the whole territory. At the same time, activists were operating underground in the cities. From 1941 to 1943, the number of partisans increased from 8,300 to 53,000. The leaders of partisan troops were the leaders of the Communist Party or professional officers; therefore, the common feature of these networks was discipline, trust, and the membership in the Communist Party. The partisan network had an educational system because they had to teach unprofessional citizens how to use weapons, explode railways, and provide medical help. The partisans had bases in the forests, where they could hide after their accomplished operations and replenish ammunition. They also constantly maintained relationships with underground activists in the cities, coordinated their activities, and held rescue operations.

The city underground organizations were closed networks; the membership in such networks was based on recommendations, activities in the Communist Party, or the Komsomol, as well as officer experience. These networks had conspiratorial apartments where member meetings were held. In order to exchange information, they used nicknames, ciphers, and hiding places. Network members tried to conceal the identity of others, so that in the case of arrest, there would remain people who could continue the fight. For this reason, the Schutzstaffel (SS) and Gestapo tried to infiltrate their networks in order to detect the primary leaders of the underground and their relationship with the partisans. If the underground members were arrested, other members had to hide in the forest with their families as quickly as possible. Fascists arrested not only activists but also their family members, and that meant either deportation to a concentration camp in Germany or fusillade.

...