Belarus has a long history going back in time. The first human beings appeared in its territory about 100–40 thousand years ago. There are traces of primordial sites in the territory of Belarus dating back 28–24 thousand years. Those lands were generally inhabited about 10–8 thousand years ago. Indo-European tribes, ancestors of Slavs and Balts, began to settle in the Belarusian land in late 3rd — early 2nd millennium BC.

 

The Belarusian ethnic group began to form in the 6th-8th centuries. As a result, East Slavic ethnic communities appeared — Krivichi, Dregovichi, Rodimichi, who were part of the ancient Russian community, forming the state of Kievan Russia in the 9th century.

 

In the 13th century, the Belarusian and Lithuanian ethnic territories were central to the formation of the largest feudal monarchy in Europe, the Great Principality of Lithuania. In the middle of the 16th century, the Great Principality of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland united federally to form a new state — Rzecz Pospolita. By the end of the 18th century Rzecz Pospolita was split to parts and the Belarusian territory was annexed to the Russian Empire.

 

Following the successful uprising in October of 1917 in Petrograd, the Soviet power was proclaimed in Minsk on 8 November 1917.

 

On 1 January 1919, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed as part of the USSR in December 1922. The western Belarus, which became part of Poland in 1921, was reunified with the BSSR in 1939.

22 June 1941 — 28 July 1944 was the period of occupation of Belarus by fascist Germany. Belarus' input in the fight against invaders and its sacrifices for the sake of a fascism-free world made the country a founding nation of the United Nations.

 

On 27 July 1990 the Supreme Council of the BSSR passed the Declaration on the National Sovereignty of Belarus. In August of 1991 it was enforced as constitutional law. On 19 September 1991 the BSSR changed its title to the Republic of Belarus. Following the signing of the Union Treaty Denunciation Act of 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to be. On 15 March 1994 the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus adopted a new Constitution whereby Belarus was proclaimed a unitary and democratic state governed by the rule of law.

 

On 8 December 1991 Viskuli (Belaya Vezha) hosted leaders of the Republic of Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine who signed the Agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On 21 December 1991 the heads of 11 sovereign countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine) signed Protocol as part of that Agreement. Among other things, the Protocol underscored that the new independent states on equal basis shall be founding the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 1993 a new acceding state was Georgia.

 

On 10 July 1994 Alexander Lukashenko was elected the first President of the Republic of Belarus. Pursuant to the referendum of 24 November 1996, the Constitution of 1994 was amended and added accordingly. Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected twice as President of the country, in September 2001 (with 75.65 % vote) and in March 2006 (with 83 % vote).

 

In March 1996 the Republic of Belarus signed an Agreement to enforce a closer economic co-operation and create unified customs space with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Russia.

 

In April 1996 Belarus signed an agreement on closer economic integration with Russia and the creation of the Commonwealth of two countries. On 2 April 1997 the agreement on the creation of the Union between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation was signed into effect.

 

On 10 October 2000 the heads of Customs Union member states signed the Agreement on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community. The organization was intended to promote and enhance the formation of the Customs Union and Unified Economic Space.

 

The National Day of the Republic of Belarus is the Day of Independence on 3 July.