Far Eastern Republic as a ‘Cradle’ of the Mongolian Revolution: Celebrating the 100th Anniversaries of the Far Eastern Republic and the Mongolian Revolution of 1921

• Main Authors: Leonid V. Kuras, Bazar D. Tsybenov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Российской академии наук, Калмыцкий научный центр 2020-12-01
• Series: Oriental Studies
• Subjects: soviet russia; far eastern republic; mongolian revolutionaries; ‘buffer’ state; o. maksteneck; russian-mongolian revolutionary interaction
• Online Access: https://kigiran.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/2644/2416

Introduction. The Far Eastern Republic that emerged in the spring of 1920 suited all political players — Moscow, Tokyo, Washington, Irkutsk Political Center, and other peripheral political forces of the Far East. The ‘buffer’ state also played an important role in the transnational history of the Mongolian world. Mongolian revolutionaries stayed in the territory of the Far Eastern Republic in the summer and autumn of 1920. At that time, they were deeply imbued with the ideas of the Bolsheviks. Goals. The study seeks to examine the organizational role of the Far Eastern Republic as an outpost of the Mongolian Revolution of 1921. The objectives be tackled are as follows: investigation of the Russian-Mongolian revolutionary interaction in 1918-1920; analysis of activities of O. Maksteneck, an authorized representative of the RSFSR People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs to Mongolia; exploration of the route and work of three groups of Mongolian delegates in the territory of the Far Eastern Republic and Soviet Russia in 1920; insight into activities of the first congress of the Mongolian People’s Party in Troitskosavsk in March 1920. Materials. The paper analyzes archival documents dealing with the history of Russian-Mongolian military cooperation in the early-to-mid 20th century, considers works by domestic and Mongolian authors dedicated to the creation of the Far Eastern Republic and the Mongolian Revolution of 1921. Conclusions. The leadership of the Far Eastern Republic headed by B. Shumyatsky and the authorized representative of the RSFSR People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs O. Maksteneck played a crucial role in organizing the activities of the Mongolian revolutionary delegates. They convinced the Mongolian revolutionaries of the need to rely on Soviet power and its armed forces in the struggle for Mongolian independence.