1945 Mongolian independence referendum

Background

Mongolia gained de facto independence from the Manchu Great Qing Empire in 1911, when a Chinese liberation uprising ended the empire and China became an independent state. The Chinese militaristic government was interested in incorporating other parts of the former empire into China (Tibet, East Turkestan, Manchuria), including Outer Mongolia, although it had been conquered by the Manchu separately from China. In 1919 Chinese troops entered Mongolia, beginning a two-year occupation.

On 18 March 1921 Chinese troops in Urga were routed by Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg's White Russian (Buryats, Russians etc.) and Mongolian forces. These, in turn, were defeated by the Red Army and its Mongolian allies by June 1921.

The Mongolian People's Republic was effectively an unrecognized satellite state of the Soviet Union (USSR). Towards the end of World War II, the USSR pushed China for formal recognition of the status quo, threatening to stir up Mongolian nationalism within China. In the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance signed on 14 August 1945, China agreed to recognize Mongolian independence after a successful referendum.

Results

Reactions

In January 1946 the Nationalist government of China officially recognized the "independence of Outer Mongolia" based on the referendum results.

Analysis

At the scientific conference dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the referendum, Zandaakhüügiin Enkhbold, speaker of the State Great Khural, said that the referendum in 1945 was the first democratic vote in Mongolia, and was of great historical significance to the independence of the country.

Sergey Radchenko, a professor of East China Normal University noted that the "referendum was regarded by both sides as political theatre, due to the peculiarity of a supposed unanimous 100% vote in favour."

References

References

1. [[Dieter Nohlen]], Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II'', p490. {{ISBN. 0-19-924959-8.
2. Nohlen ''et al''., p491.
3. Willard Sunderland. (9 May 2014). "The Baron's Cloak: A History of the Russian Empire in War and Revolution". Cornell University Press.
4. Alfred J. Rieber. (25 August 2015). "Stalin and the Struggle for Supremacy in Eurasia". Cambridge University Press.
5. (2005). "HAUNTED BY HISTORY: CHINA AND ITS NORTHWESTERN NEIGHBOURS". Historia Actual Online.
6. "Scientific conference runs on 70th anniversary of Public Referendum".
7. [[Sergey Radchenko]] (22 October 2015), [https://thediplomat.com/2015/10/the-truth-about-mongolias-independence-70-years-ago/ "The Truth About Mongolia's Independence 70 Years Ago"], ''The Diplomat''. Retrieved 3 December 2019.