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What happened when the Belarusian Democratic Republic was declared in 1918?
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In 1918, while much of the region was under German army occupation during World War I, an independent Belarusian Democratic Republic was declared.12
This declaration occurred amid the broader instability of the Russian Civil War and the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. However, the republic was short-lived; following the conclusion of the war and the withdrawal of German troops, the Bolsheviks announced the formation of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic on January 1, 1919.12