Mongolia in Perspective

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Chapter 2: Assessment

1. The Xanadu were a tribal confederation that emerged in the Mongolian steppes
   during the third century B.C.E.

FALSE

During the late 3rd century B.C.E., the Xiong-nu emerged as a tribal confederation
whose mounted warriors waged nearly constant wars with the Chinese Han Dynasty
for more than 150 years.

2. Khubilai (Kublai) Khan founded the Chinese Yuan Dynasty

TRUE

In 1271, eight years prior to the final defeat of the Southern Song, Khubilai Khan
declared himself founder of the Yuan Dynasty. It was the latest in a long string of
Chinese dynasties.

3. Mongolia’s capital was invaded by the Japanese army from 1911–1921.

FALSE

Chinese forces invaded in 1919. A year later, White Russian troops (i.e., tsarist
loyalists), partially funded by the Japanese, marched into Outer Mongolia from the
north and pushed the Chinese out of Niyslel Huree (Ulaanbaatar).

4. Following the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolia was once again beset by
   tribal competitions leading to periods of unity followed by disunity.

TRUE

Many changes took place after more than 60,000 Mongols retreated back into
Mongolia from China. Cycles of unity and disunity once again became the norm on
the steppes as new tribal confederations took root.

5. An attempt to collectivize Mongolia’s herders during the late 1920s through the
   early 1930s proved unsuccessful.

TRUE

By the late 1920s, the Mongolian government was implementing radical
collectivization policies on a population that continued to largely consist of nomadic
herders. Angry and frightened herders, facing the loss of their private livestock, began
slaughtering their herds. Uprisings in western Mongolia in 1932 resulted in Soviet
leaders pushing the Mongolian government to back off on its rapid push toward a
state-controlled collectivist economy.