MONGOLIAN PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC

The 'Mongolian People's Republic' (Mongolian: Бугд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс (БНМАУ)) was a communist state in Central Asia which existed between 1924 and 1992 and changed to a democratic country, Mongolia, in 1992. It was, after the Soviet Union, the second communist country, and remained a loyal Soviet ally throughout its history.

Contents

Formation

Consolidation of power (1925 - 1938)

World War II (1939-1945)

Cold War politics (1945 - 1985)

Collapse (1985 - 1990)

See also

References

Formation

Main articles: History of Mongolia

Outer Mongolia was ruled by the Qing Dynasty under the Manchus from 1691 to 1911, along with modern-day China. As Manchu authority in China waned, and as Russia and Japan confronted each other, Russia gave arms and diplomatic support to nationalists among the Mongol religious leaders and nobles. The Mongols accepted Russian aid and proclaimed their independence from Chinese rule in 1911, shortly after a successful Chinese revolt against the Manchus. By agreements signed in 1913 and 1915, the Russian Government forced the new Chinese Republican Government to accept Mongolian autonomy under continued Chinese control, presumably to discourage other foreign powers from approaching a newly independent Mongolian state that might seek support from as many foreign sources as possible. These agreements were subsequently repudiated by the Republic of China government when relations with the USSR worsened.
Between 1911 and 1919, Mongolia was a puppet state of Russia. However, Russia's entry into the First World War led to a relaxation of Russian control. The Russian revolution of 1917 and the resulting civil war allowed Chinese warlords an opportunity to reestablish their rule in Mongolia, Chinese troops were dispatched there in 1919 and the autonomy formally revoked. Mongolia declared independence from China for the second time on March 13, 1921 after Roman von Ungern-Sternberg's troops had driven the Chinese out of the Mongolian capital of Urga. Following Red Army and Mongolian People's Army victories over remnants of the Chinese troops, White Russian and Sternberg's forces in the early 1920s, and the occupation of Urga in July 1921, Moscow again became the major outside influence on Mongolia. The Mongolian People's Republic was proclaimed on November 25, 1924, under the control of a communist state dominated by the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), after the death of Mongolia's last king, the Bogd Khan.

Consolidation of power (1925 - 1938)

Between 1925 and 1928, the new regime became established. In 1928, schemes to collectivize herding, and to expropriate the nobility and the monasteries were implemented, together with a total ban on private enterprise. These politics led to a breakdown in economy and transports, and more importantly to uprisings in the west and south that could only be suppressed with the help of the Soviet Red Army. After 1932, the implementation of a command economy was scaled back, but in 1936, and especially after Japanese encroachments had given the Soviets enough reason to deploy Soviet troops in Mongolia in 1937, a whole-scale attack on the Buddhist faith began. At the same time, Soviet-style purges took place in the party and the army. Among those killed were such prominent figures as Peljidiin Genden, Anandyn Amar, Demid, and Losol. Mongolia's leader at that time was Khorloogiin Choibalsan, a follower of Joseph Stalin who emulated many of the policies Stalin had implemented in the USSR. The purges lead to the almost complete eradiction of Lamaism in the country, and cost an estimated 30,000 lives, equivalent to about five percent of Mongolia's population.

World War II (1939-1945)

During World War II, because of a growing Japanese threat over the Mongolian-Manchurian border, the Soviet Union reversed the course of Mongolian socialism in favor of a new policy of economic gradualism and buildup of the national defense. The Soviet-Mongolian army defeated Japanese forces that had invaded eastern Mongolia in the summer of 1939 at the Battle of Halhin Gol, and a truce was signed setting up a commission to define the Mongolian-Manchurian border in the autumn of that year.
After 1941, Mongolia's economy was readjusted to support the Soviet Union in every way possible, including providing funding for several Soviet military units. In the summer of 1945, the Soviet Union used Mongolia as a base for launching Operation August Storm, a successful attack against the Japanese. The preceding buildup brought 1.5 million Soviet soldiers to Mongolia, along with massive amounts of equipment. The Mongolian army played a limited support role in the conflict, but her involvement gave Stalin the means to force the Chinese side to finally accept Mongolia's independence.

Cold War politics (1945 - 1985)

Choibalsan died in Moscow in 1952. He was succeeded by Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal, another Soviet loyalist. Following Nikita Khrushchev's denunciation of the policies of Joseph Stalin, the Mongolian government did the same of Choibalsan in 1956. The personality cult of Choibalsan was condemned as were many of his hardline policies.
Secure in its relations with Moscow, the Mongolian Government shifted to postwar development, focusing on civilian enterprise. International ties were expanded, and Mongolia established relations with North Korea and the new Communist states in Eastern Europe. Mongolia and the People's Republic of China (PRC) recognized each other in 1949, and PRC renounced all territorial pretensions towards Outer Mongolia . PRC even provided laborers to help construct much of the infrastructure built in the postwar period. Mongolia also increased its participation in communist-sponsored conferences and international organizations. In 1955, Mongolia attempted to join the United Nations, but the request was vetoed by Republic of China (ROC), who still maintained their claim over Mongolia. Mongolia became a member of the UN in 1961.
In the early 1960s, Mongolia attempted to maintain a neutral position amidst increasingly contentious Sino-Soviet dispute; this orientation changed in the middle of the decade. Mongolia and the Soviet Union signed an agreement in 1966 that introduced large-scale Soviet ground forces as part of Moscow's general buildup along the Sino-Soviet frontier. Relations between Mongolia and China deteriorated. In 1983, Mongolia systematically began expelling some of the 7,000 ethnic Chinese in Mongolia to China. Many of them had lived in Mongolia since the 1950s, when they were sent there to assist in construction projects.

Collapse (1985 - 1990)

After Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR, he implemented the policies of ''perestroika'' and ''glasnost''. The relaxing atmosphere in the Soviet Union prompted a similar relaxation in Mongolia. Following mass demonstrations in the winter of 1990, the MPRP began to loosen its controls of the political system. The Politburo of the MPRP resigned in March, and in May the constitution was amended, deleting reference to the MPRP's role as the guiding force in the country, legalizing opposition parties, creating a standing legislative body, and establishing the office of president. On July 29, 1990, the first free, multiparty elections in Mongolia were held. The election results returned a majority for the MPRP, which won with 85% of the vote. It was not until 1996 that the reformed MPRP would be voted out of office.

See also

★ Economy of the Mongolian People's Republic

References