Asia 757
the area into predominantly Russian and fostered Russian interests in the Siberian
province. Russian involvement in the area grew in the wake of the Russian Civil
War. The nominally Chinese/Outer Mongolian province became a safe haven for
White Russians, prompting a strong show of force from the Bolsheviks. In March
1921, the Russians evicted the Chinese military personnel that had occupied the
western part of the area in September 1919. A congress was formed in the disputed
territory on August 13, 1921, announcing its autonomy and allegiance to the Soviet
state. The Soviet state responded a month later (September 14) by proclaiming that
it had no interest in mirroring the imperialist practices of the czarist government it
had overthrown. It effectively made Tuva decide its own fate again, though the same
conclusion was reached in 1923. Tuva again declared allegiance to the Soviet Union.
Agreements with China in 1923 and 1924 vowed that Tuva remained under Chinese
sovereignty, but this was duplicitous. It had become a client state of the Soviet Union.
Tuva was fully annexed on October 13, 1944.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from September 1921. End day changed from
Missing.
MID#3257
Dispute Number: 3257
Date(s): July 6, 1921 to November 5, 1921
Participants: 365 Russia/710 China
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Imposed)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: This is a dispute between Soviet Russia and China for influence in
Mongolia, culminating with the creation of the Mongolian People’s Republic. The
Mongolian issue was another lingering source of tension between both Russia and
China. An essential component of the Qing Dynasty, Outer Mongolia (present-day
Mongolian state) became autonomous in 1911 following a successful revolution that
was supported by Russia. The Russian Revolution and ensuing civil war gave China
the necessary pretext to attempt to unify Outer Mongolia with Inner Mongolia, the
Mongolian within its present-day territory. China thus rescinded Mongolia’s autono-
mous status in February 1920.
The two revolutionary groups that had formed in Mongolia united to create the
Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) and then asked the Soviet Union for their help
against the Chinese. The opportunity came when Roman Ungern von Sternberg, a de
facto independent warlord and former White Russian leader who became a persona
non-grata in Russia after the Russian Civil War, led troops to occupy Mongolia and
proclaim himself as monarch. A revolutionary Congress of the MPP quickly formed
and, with heavy Soviet assistance, invaded Mongolia in July 1921. The capital of
Khuree (Ulaanbaatar) was captured on July 6. The Soviets and Mongolians signed a
friendship treaty on November 5, 1921. The treaty gave Soviet recognition to the new
Mongolian state, which soon fell into its sphere of influence. The Mongolian People’s
Republic remained a subservient client state for the Soviet Union from then on.