Развитие связей между Беларусью и США в первой четверти ХХ в.

Abstract

The first quarter of the 20th century was the time of the formation of ties between the USA and Belarus, mainly of a humanitarian nature. Before the First World War the USA actively admitted immigrants from Belarus; in 1919—1923 the USA was sending humanitarian aid to Belarus. In 1918—1920 Belarusian politicians tried to with support from the US authorities and the society in its attempt to establish an independent state. But the USA was not ready to perceive the idea of Belarusian independence and considered the Belarusian issue only within the context of the relations between Russia and Poland. In the beginning of the 1920s the USA saw the emergence of the first Belarusian organisations which aimed to familiarize the Americans with the Belarusian issues and thus influence the US policy regarding Belarus. Although these organisations failed to make any significant impact on US policy, their activities contributed to the dissemination of information about Belarus in North America and thus founded a basis for the expansion of interaction between Belarus and the USA in the second half of the century.