Roman Skirmunt is an highly colorful figure, though by many underestimated and forgotten. Considered as “a policy of 3 countries” and 1 of the most prominent representatives of the national movement in the historical lands of Lithuania. He created in the early 20th century the first political organization to proclaim the demands of "nationals".
Polish household
Skirmunts are a household noblewhose origins reach The 16th century. Roman Skirmunt was born in the property Currant near Pinska. That's how he wrote about his origins.: ‘I myself came from Belarusian Polesia, a descendant of the Lithuanian family, Inhabiting this region since ancient times, and my ancestors utilized Belarusian until the 17th century as native language’ Founder of the industrialist-entrepreneur dynasty, That changed Polesie, was Aleksander Skirmunt. His father Simon Skirmunt acquired from the late 18th century Michael Ogiński property Molodovo and Fare near Pinska.
Alexander Skirmunt, Simon's son, built a cloth mill and a sugar mill in Moldova – the first on Polesie. At the end of the 19th century, household welfare remained split between six sons and 5 daughters Alexander Skirmunt, who developed the economical life of Polesia. Skirmunts steel au the method one from the richest and most influential families in Belarus today.
Roman Skirmunt was a postgraduate of the Classical advanced School in Riga. Educationhigher price he won at the University of Warsaw (laws) and at the UniViennese verse.
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Manufacturer of the ‘countrymen’ party
Roman Skirmunt was the main advocate of the so-called. ‘of this countryIt’s okay. ” In 1904 of the year published a tiny brochure under title ‘Voice of the past and need moment. Nobility position in Lithuania and Russia’, where he pointed out the bonds blood and the unity of the origin of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the local peasantry.
What was “locality”? That in the declaration ‘Our locality” explained his sister Constance Skirmunt:
‘Each au us, unless she's a fresh visitor., has In To be unevenly something of Lithuanian and Pole or Rusina. That's where it comes from., that all 3 names and qualities have our right on earth nationality, a each unit, In a measurement of In its national characteristics or sviaown house, this or that group joins, holding – if a large tradition is Faithful – triple national brotherhood. [...] Each of us, peasant or noble, on the land of Lithuania, or Belarus, He has the right to be a Lithuanian., Polish, or Belarus. Each of us has the right on cultural roads and Moral Education and develop your nationality“.
Roman Skirmunt has established a political group that can implement this idea. W “Kurier Lithuanian” paper published the program lot named By himNational Party Lithuania and Belarus. The programme advocated equality all nationalities “in and for the sake of the countryIt’s okay. ” ‘Nationalists" were tolerant of the national movements of Lithuania and Belarus. Their program preached: ‘We truly and full admit the importance and vitality of the Lithuanian people and his right to full, its own cultural development“ But they had adverse attitude to Polish nationalism from Dmowski sign. Roman Skirmunt, citing the ideologist of British imperialism Chamberlain, Polish supporters “clean ethnically“ He called the deminors of the homeland.
Publication in the press of the draft National Programme Party Lithuania and Belarus witnessed o enlargement ‘nationalists’ knowing of the request for their own creation Political. National traffic rapidly took on organizational shape, Why fostered the experience of average and wealthy nobles under local agricultural companies, of which the largest and The strongest in ‘country’ was and remained Minsk Agricultural Society (1876–1921), on which Head became the non-official leader – Edward Woynilowicz (1847–1928). The provisions of the political part and the socio-economic programme proposed by Roman Skirmunt mostly coincided with the Society's statutes.
The decision to establish the organization was taken at the initiative of Roman Skirmunt on 17 June 1907, during the landslide of six governors. To the parties were yet not joined by representatives Governor Pork and Skirmunt himself, because they were not satisfied with the fact that the organization emerged as a purely "Polish’And Skirmunt tried to make a organization consisting of three Polish factions, Belarus and Lithuania.
W 1906 stayed Member to Russian State Pride 1st term. He financed the issue of a Belarusian letter ‘Our NivaIt’s okay. ” He was besides actively active in the activities of the Minsk Agricultural Society and the Endowment of the Earth Union, was a supporter of cooperation between landowners and peasants. This. on his initiative, the admission to the Farm Society began.
Prime Minister of Belarus
From 25 March to 12 July 1917 year Roman Skirmunt was elected president of the Belarusian National Committee in Minsk, designated by the Bolsheviks as ‘Areaic Intrigue”, which yet went into political non-existence.
Skirmunt stood on Head conservative wings in the Belarusian national movement, centered around mInventory? Conservatives opposed the nationalisation of land and differed from socialists. Part of Belarusian historians considers, that the disagreement between the Belarusian left and right importantly reduced the chances of successful fighting for an independent Belarusian state.
W 1918 worked on the Preparation Committee of the First legislature of the All-Belarusian Assembly and was second Chairman his Executive Committee. He was. MemberDOB: 23.9.1964.
W during its course term He wanted to lead to acquisitions by state authorities The Belarusian People's Republic real power, the focus of the full Belarusian cultural territory around it, wanted to carry out average agricultural reform. 20 July 1918 resigned as Prime Minister.
Initially was a spokesperson on the basis of Belarusian national aspirations for the aid of Germany. The most celebrated episode of this policy was sending a telegram to Emperor Wilhelm II with thanks for the liberation of Belarus from Bolshevik regulation and hope to support the Belarusian statehood by Germany.
The outbreak of the Polish-Bolshevik War changed its geopolitical orientation. This time, Skirmunt put au Poland. Belarusian historian Andrei Mr Czerniakiewicz expressed his opinion, that in the situation of approaching Polish troops au Minsk in Warsaw was considered the script of establishing the Belarusian government headed by Romanem Skirmunt. Debate Parliament on the improvement agricultural Could be chance to find support for such political solutions among nationalists.
Hypothesis This was supported by the Polish historian Dorota Michaluk, according to which Roman Skirmunt ‘intended to make a fresh Belarusian government under his direction“, but Joseph Piłsudski did not deal with it He agreed.
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Senator II of the Republic
After the defeat of the Belarusian People's Republic and the signing of the Treaty of Riga, Roman Skirmunt withdrew from political life and resided in his property in Porzez. He had a sugar mill here., Brewery, cloth factory, water mill, built a churchhospital and laid the foundation for a fresh palace.
The interest in politics came back only after the “May coup”. W 1929 Roman Skirmunt became a associate of the labour Maintenance Organization State – a conservative political organization related to the environment of the so-called. “Line beetles’, or a group of wealthy landowners of the erstwhile Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In 1930 he was elected Senator (1930-1935)) from the Polish Voivodeship, Entering the Unpartisan Block of Cooperation with the Government, who supported policy Joseph Piłsudski.
Vilnius ‘Word’ – Press Authority “Draw bison”, who actively supported “The organization of power” paid large attention his person. W in peculiar Stanisław Cat-Mackiewicz in the article ‘Local candidates“ au Senator's List BBWR details described the owner of Porzej and listed only another candidates.
Here's what they might have learned.Readers ‘Words“:
Opens up the amount of candidates for Parliament Mr Roman Skirmunt in the first place of the senator's list BBWR on Pole, this is simply a man who knew many years before independency think categories not only preparing the work of the Polish State on these areas, But besides the power categories. Roman Skirmunt is symbolic noble Poleski as independent in its political and far thought from urban-town thoroughness of endeks. Roman Skirmunt, a Pole noble, that even then, when the Polish nation was in captivity closer to the mentality of any Chamberlain, or victorious mentality, broad horizons and large state methods, than the mentality of a slave who has its maximum political agendaThat in a singing dream, I hope you inactive do. ‘The German didn't spit in our face“ By All his life Roman Skirmunt explained, I don't request to be ‘small PolesIt’s okay. ”
During his word of office, the Senator took part in work on the April Constitution. August 28, 1933, Vilnius, in the building of the Bank of Vilnius Land, there was a gathering convened by the Conservative State Conservation Labour Organization, at which the Duke of Eustachy Sapieha (1881-1963), author of the Treaty ‘Constitution of State Reasons”, read the study on solutions Legal proposals in the fresh Constitution. He chaired the gathering and led Senator Roman Skirmunt.
After Soviet assault on Poland in 1939. Roman Skirmunt was murdered by local collaborators at the order of russian Commissioner Cholodov. He was taken out with Brother-in-law Boleslaw into the woods and shot. erstwhile he was told to turn distant back, answered: ‘I never turned I will turn my back on men, and I will not turn my back on you.”
In the late 20th century, metallic was erected in the basin cross with the inscription in Polish. Already in the early 21st century. A wooden cross with an inscription in Belarusian appeared next to the first cross in the likely place of the Skirchund execution.
The article was originally published in the quarterly “Think Sovereign. Review of Public Affairs’ No 1(11)/2023.
photo of the legislature Office
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