Batsaikhan Ookhnoi Emgent – författare

On December 29, 1911, the Mongols seceded from the Manchu Empire, proclaimed their independence, and elevated Bogdo Jebtsundamba Khutuktu as the Emperor of Mongolia, ending 220 years of Manchu rule. The Mongols have almost forgotten at present the Eighth Bogdo Jebtsundamba Khutuktu who initiated, organized and led that historical event. He was vehemently decried and was given various names such as ‘the feudal’ and ‘the blind’ during Mongolia’s recent socialist past. He was even depicted until his death as a sworn enemy of Mongolia’s independence. An attempt was made in this work to show, as objectively as possible and on the basis of archival sources, the contribution of the Eighth Bogdo Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, Mongolia’s last Emperor to the struggle for Mongolia’s independence, the commencement and culmination of Mongolia’s national revolution of 1911, the relationship between the Bogdo khaan and the People’s Government, the death of the Bogdo khaan and the attempts to identify his reincarnation and the confiscation of Bogdo’s properties. We should never forget that the Bogdo khaan was the leader of the Mongols’ religion, an Emperor who wielded power in both the state and church since 1911, an extraordinary leader and a father of Mongolia’s national revolution. This work will interest historians of Asia, Mongolia, Russia and, the Soviet Union, and those tracing the journey from empire to nation.

This study analyzes the Soviet Union’s strategic interests and policies toward Mongolia, emphasizing Joseph Stalin’s perception of its geopolitical importance. It examines why Mongolia’s independence was a key condition Stalin set at the Yalta Summit for the Soviet declaration of war on Japan. While existing research has explored Soviet-Mongolian relations, this study utilizes newly declassified archival materials from Russia, Mongolia, and Japan to reassess Stalin’s strategic vision and interactions with Mongolian leaders. The research argues that Soviet policy was primarily driven by economic interests, with political considerations playing a secondary role. It also highlights the alignment between Mongolian national aspirations and Russian strategic objectives, particularly since the 1910s. By incorporating previously unexamined sources, this study offers a more nuanced understanding of Soviet-Mongolian relations and Mongolia’s role in Soviet Far Eastern strategy, shedding light on its historical path to sovereignty and its significance in regional power dynamics.