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Mongolia (Mongolian: Монгол Улс) is a landlocked
nation in central Asia, bordered by Russia to
the north and the People's Republic of China to
the south. It was the center of the Mongol
Empire in the 13th century, but was ruled by the
Manchu Qing dynasty from the end of the 18th
century until an independent government was
formed with Soviet assistance in 1921. Following
the fall of the Soviet Union, Mongolia adopted
electoral politics. The 18th largest country in
the world by area, Mongolia has very little
arable land: much of its area is grassland, with
mountains in the north and west and the Gobi
Desert in the south. A little over 30 percent of
the population are nomadic or semi-nomadic
Tibetan Buddhists of the Mongol ethnicity. Over
fifty per cent of the population reside in the
capital city Ulaanbaatar.
History
Main article: History of Mongolia
Mongolia was called the Khunnu Empire in 209
BCE. Modun Shanyu (Modun King) was the king of
the country at that time, and he made the first
Mongolian great conquests. The Khunnu Empire was
the biggest enemy of its southern neighbour,
China, and the Chinese built a great wall to
protect themselves from the Khuns, whom Chinese
considered barbarians.
Later on, after the Khunnu empire had weakened,
Mongolia was divided into tribes. Before the
13th century CE, the land of Mongolia was
occupied by various nomadic tribes and
short-lived Mongol confederacies.
In the late 12th century CE, a minor warlord
named Temujin, convinced that he possessed the
Mandate of Heaven, began a long struggle to
unite the Mongol tribes. In 1206, in a
ceremonious setting, Temujin was crowned the
Chingis Khaan (Genghis Khan), and the nation of
Mongolia took its current shape. In the 13th
century, Mongolia was the center of the Mongol
Empire, the largest contiguous land empire in
world history.
After more than a century of power, the Mongol
Empire disintegrated, and Mongols fell into a
state of internal feuds. During this time, they
adopted a variant of Buddhism -- Lamaism. The
Manchu conquered Inner Mongolia in 1636 and
Outer Mongolia in 1691. Under more than 200
years of Manchu-Chinese oppression, Mongols
suffered tremendous losses to their demographics
and mentality.
Mongolia declared independence in 1911, but only
Outer Mongolia gained partial independence.
After the October Revolution in Russia, Chinese
troops led by Hsü Shu-Cheng re-occupied Outer
Mongolia in 1919, but were caught in the middle
when White and Red Russian armies extended the
Russian Civil War into (Outer) Mongolian
territory, and were driven out in 1921. In 1924,
the Mongolian People's Republic was proclaimed.
The Mongolian People's Republic was aligned
closely with the Soviet Union. Politicians who
demanded a more capitalist course and who
dissented against collective prosperity, like
Dogsomyn Bodoo or Horloogiyn Dandzan, quickly
became unpopular. In 1928 Horloogiyn Choybalsan
rose to power. Under his administration, forced
but productive collectivisation, and the
destruction of Lamaist monasteries in 1937 left
more than 10,000 insurgent lamas dead.
During Soviet-Japanese Border War, the USSR
defended Mongolia against Japan during the
Battle of Halhin Gol. Mongolian forces also took
part in the Soviet offensive against Japanese
forces in Inner Mongolia in August 1945 (see
Operation August Storm). The threat of Mongolian
forces seizing parts of Inner Mongolia induced
the Republic of China to recognize Outer
Mongolia's independence, provided that a
referendum was held. The referendum took place
on October 20, 1945, with, according to official
numbers, 100% of the electorate voting for
independence. After the establishment of the
People's Republic of China, both countries
recognized each other on October 6, 1949.
After Choybalsan died in Moscow on January 26,
1952, Yumjaagiyn Tsedenbal took power. In 1956
and again in 1962, Choybalsan's 'personality
cult' was condemned. Mongolia continued to
closely align itself with the Soviet Union,
especially after the Sino-Soviet split of the
late 1950s. While Tsedenbal visited Moscow in
August 1984, being very ill, the parliament
announced his retirement and replaced him with
Jambyn Batmonh.
In 1990, the Communist Party relinquished
control over the government, without a single
bullet being fired. A new constitution was
prepared in 1992 that abolished the People's
Republic and created a democratic state.
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