Stanislav Shushkevich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanislav Shushkevich
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Shushkevich in 1991
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| Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus | |
| In office 25 August 1991 – 26 January 1994 Acting to 18 September 1991 |
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| Prime Minister | Vyacheslav Kebich |
| Preceded by | Mikalay Dzyemyantsyey (as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR) |
| Succeeded by | Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Kuznetsov (acting) • Myechyslaw Hryb |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 December 1934 Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 3 May 2022 (aged 87) Minsk, Belarus |
| Political party | Communist Party of Belarus, Belarusian Social Democratic Assembly |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Belarusian State University |
| Profession | Scientist |
| Awards |  Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal (2018) |
Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich (Belarusian: Станісла́ў Станісла́вавіч Шушке́віч; Russian: Станисла́в Станисла́вович Шушке́вич; 15 December 1934 – 3 May 2022) was an important person from Belarus. He was both a politician and a scientist.
From 1991 to 1994, he was the first leader of independent Belarus. This was after Belarus left the Soviet Union. He was known as the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, which is like being the head of Parliament or president.
Shushkevich supported new ideas for society. He also helped create the Commonwealth of Independent States. As a scientist, he was very skilled in physics and math. He wrote many textbooks and articles. He also invented many things.
About Stanislav Shushkevich
Stanislav Shushkevich was born in Minsk on December 15, 1934. His parents were teachers from farming families. His father was a poet who was arrested in the 1930s. He was later set free.
His mother was a writer. Her family had noble roots. During World War II, Stanislav lived in Minsk, which was controlled by the Nazis. A Jewish boy was hidden in their home.
Stanislav finished school with honors in 1951. He then went to Belarusian State University. He studied physics and mathematics. He graduated in 1956. Later, he studied radio electronics.
In the early 1960s, he worked as an engineer. He taught Lee Harvey Oswald Russian. This was when Oswald lived in Minsk.
Shushkevich married Irina in 1976. She encouraged him to live a healthy life. He had two children, a son named Stanislav and a daughter named Elena.
In April 2022, Shushkevich became sick. He was taken to the hospital because of COVID-19. He passed away in Minsk on May 3, 2022.
Political Career
When the leader of the Supreme Soviet was removed, Shushkevich became the temporary speaker. This happened after a coup attempt in 1991. He led Belarus to vote to leave the Soviet Union. This made him the first leader of the new country. On September 18, he was officially chosen as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet.
On December 8, 1991, he met with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine. They met in Belavezhskaya Pushcha. Together, they signed a paper saying the Soviet Union was ending. They created the Commonwealth of Independent States instead. This paper is known as the "Belovezh Accords".
Shushkevich arranged for all nuclear weapons to be removed from Belarus. He did this without asking for money or special conditions. However, other changes he wanted to make were stopped. This was because many in Parliament and the Prime Minister disagreed with him.
In late 1993, another politician, Alexander Lukashenko, made accusations. He said that some government officials, including Shushkevich, had misused government money. This led to a special vote. Shushkevich lost this vote. He was then replaced by Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Kuznetsov and later by Myechyslaw Hryb.
In July 1994, Belarus held its first presidential election. Six people ran for president. Shushkevich was one of them. He received 10% of the votes in the first round.
In 2002, Shushkevich had to sue the government. His retirement money as a former leader was very small due to inflation. To earn money, he gave many talks at universities. He lectured in places like Poland, the United States, and Asian countries.
In 2004, he tried to run in the parliamentary elections. But he was not allowed to register by the election group. He stayed active in politics. He led the Belarusian Social Democratic Assembly party from 1998 to 2018.
Awards and Honors
- 1982, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the BSSR
- 1997, Polish Prize of Jan Nowak-Jeziorański
- 2010, Lithuanian presidential Order of Vytautas the Great. He received this for supporting Lithuania's independence in 1991.
- 2012, Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom
- 2018, Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal. This was for his work for Belarusian democracy and independence.
See also
In Spanish: Stanislav Shushkévich para niños
