Socialist Mongolia

The Mongolian People's Republic was a Marxist-Leninist state in what is now Mongolia that existed from 1924 to 1992.

History

Beginnings

Following a complex power struggle that emerged in the country after the collapse of the Russian and Chinese Empires. In reaction to a theocratic government, socialist revolutionaries, with the help of Russia, took over the government and established a socialist state in 1924.

Early Years and World War II

At the time, Mongolia was severely underdeveloped. Industry was nonexistent and all wealth was controlled by the nobility and religious establishments. The population numbered less than a million people and was shrinking due to nearly half of all Mongolian males living in monasteries.

In 1928, Joseph Stalin ordered the collectivisation of Mongolian agriculture. This led to an economic crisis, which resulted in uprisings in the West and the South that could only be suppressed with the help of the Soviet Union. After this failure, livestock remained in private hands. The state began to develop industry based on processing of animal husbandry products and crop raising on state farms. Transportation, communications, domestic and foreign trade, and banking and finance were nationalised or taken over by cooperatives.

In 1934, Peljidiin Genden (first president of socialist Mongolia) visited Moscow and angrily accused Stalin of "Red imperialism". He subsequently died in the Great Purge after being tricked into taking a holiday on the Black Sea. The USSR also placed soldiers into the country in 1936 in response to aggression into China by the Japanese Empire. Several battles occurred on the border in an undeclared war during World War II and Mongolia's economy became based around providing resources to the USSR, Mongolian volunteers also fought in the Red Army against Nazi Germany. Mongolia was also used as the main base to launch the USSR's invasion of Manchuria, a key point in causing Japan's surrender.

Cold War

After World War II, Stalin negotiated Mongolia's independence from the Kuomingtang in China. Mongolia had been an incredibly isolated country, only remaining in contact with the USSR and focusing on economic development. It opened up relations with much of Eastern Europe, North Korea and China. In the 1950s China provided much needed economic aid, helping to build apartment blocks and infrastructure with Chinese workers. The country also began massive investment into mining, timber processing and consumer goods production. However, during the Sino-Soviet Split, Mongolia firmly sided with the USSR and the USSR stationed soldiers in the country.

Collapse

After the attempted liberalisation of the USSR, many university students in Mongolia took inspiration and launched massive protests in 1990, which led to the democratisation of the country in 1990, and the end of the Marxist-Leninist state. However, the communists were only voted out in 1996.

Much like the collapse of most socialist nations, Mongolia's went through a severe economic crisis, with GDP falling by 80% between 1989 and 1993, population growth also roughly halved. However, Mongolia did not suffer a noticeable loss of life expectancy.

References

Wikipedia - Mongolian People's Republic