1945 Mongolian independence referendum

1945 Mongolian independence referendum
20 October 1945
Referendum on the independence of the Mongolian People's Republic from China
Results
Choice
 Votes %
Yes 487,409 100.00%
No 0 0.00%
Valid votes 487,409 100.00%
Invalid or blank votes 0 0.00%
Total votes 487,409 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 494,960 98.47%

An independence referendum was held in the Mongolian People's Republic on 20 October 1945.[1] It was approved by 100% of voters, with no votes against, according to official statistics. Voter turnout was 98%.[2]

Background

Outer Mongolia had gained de facto independence from the Qing dynasty during the Xinhai Revolution in 1911. The independence of Outer Mongolia was supported by the Russian Empire, and later in 1915, the Treaty of Kyakhta was signed between the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the Russian Empire, and the newly founded Republic of China (ROC). The 1915 Treaty recognized Mongolia's autonomy within the ROC. Following the outbreak of the Russian Civil War in 1917, Chinese troops entered and occupied Mongolia in 1919, effectively abolishing its autonomy and the reign of the Bogd Khan.[3]

In February 1921, the last Chinese troops in Mongolia had been expelled by the White Russian general Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, prompting Soviet intervention in Mongolia. On 18 March 1921, Chinese troops in Urga were routed by Baron Ungern-Sternberg's White Russian (Buryats,[4] Russians, etc.) and Mongolian forces.[5] Consequently, the Bogd Khanate and its government were restored by Ungern-Sternberg. Revolutionaries opposing the Chinese occupation and the White Russians founded the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) in June 1920. The MPP, allied with the Red Army, defeated the White Russians by June 1921 and entered Urga in July. Subsequently, the People's Provisional Government declared victory of the People's Revolution and crowned the Bogd Khan as a limited monarch.[3]

After the death of the Bogd Khan in 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was established following the ratification of a new constitution. The Mongolian People's Republic was effectively an unrecognized satellite state of the Soviet Union (USSR), having participated in the liberation of Manchuria. 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, the ROC agreed to recognize Mongolian independence after a successful referendum.[3]

Pro-independence leaflet (left) and a ballot paper (right)

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For487,409100.00
Against00.00
Total487,409100.00
Valid votes487,409100.00
Invalid/blank votes00.00
Total votes487,409100.00
Registered voters/turnout494,96098.47
Source: Nohlen et al.

Reactions

Map of the Republic of China and the Mongolian People's Republic published in 1947

In January 1946, the Nationalist government of China officially recognized the "independence of Outer Mongolia" based on the referendum results.[6]

Analysis

At the scientific conference dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the referendum, Zandaakhüügiin Enkhbold, speaker of the State Great Khural, said that the 1945 referendum was the first democratic vote in Mongolia and of great historical significance to the independence of the country.[7]

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."[8]

See also

  • Modern Mongolian history
  • Outer Mongolia

    • 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. ^ a b c Ma, Zhengyang (2022-09-07). "Mongolia's Road to Independence: The Power Bargains Between China and Russia". Social Science, Humanities and Sustainability Research. 3 (3): 123–124. doi:10.22158/sshsr.v3n3p116. ISSN 2690-3636.
    4. ^ Willard Sunderland (9 May 2014). The Baron's Cloak: A History of the Russian Empire in War and Revolution. Cornell University Press. pp. 224–. ISBN 978-0-8014-7106-3.
    5. ^ Alfred J. Rieber (25 August 2015). Stalin and the Struggle for Supremacy in Eurasia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 83–. ISBN 978-1-316-35219-9.
    6. ^ Eric, A. Hyer (2005). "HAUNTED BY HISTORY: CHINA AND ITS NORTHWESTERN NEIGHBOURS" (PDF). Historia Actual Online. 7: 87. ISSN 1696-2060.
    7. ^ "Scientific conference runs on 70th anniversary of Public Referendum". MONTSAME News Agency. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
    8. ^ Sergey Radchenko (22 October 2015), "The Truth About Mongolia's Independence 70 Years Ago", The Diplomat. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
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