Precontractual Essentials for the ‘Export of Revolution’ in East Asia and Regional Political Order in the Zone of Soviet Influence: Positive Experience and Socialist Ideology in Mongolia. The Year 1921. Part 2
Abstract
Introduction. The article deals with an important and eventful period of Russia-Mongolia
relations, special attention be paid to the shaping of a new regional order in East Asia. The collapse of
China’s monarchy resulted in a political vacuum in Russia’s border territories which required utmost
consideration and involvement, and the Soviets did seize the opportunity. However, the Agreement
on Friendly Relations concluded in November of 1921 can hardly be viewed as a starting point, the
former having been rather supposed to actualize previous mutual commitments discussed in the paper.
Goals. So, the work attempts an interdisciplinary insight into the mentioned documents (addresses,
diplomatic notes, letters, etc.) to have preceded the Agreement and formalized Soviet Russia’s foreign
policy in the region and its presence in the territory of Outer Mongolia ― to determine the role and
impact of those preliminary papers. Materials and Methods. The study focuses on widely known
materials contained in diverse published collections of documents from the Soviet era that were never
viewed by most researchers as important tools to have guaranteed the national interests in the Far East.
So, the innovative aspect of research is that the addresses, notes and letters are examined through the
prism of other humanitarian disciplines, such as jurisprudence and political science — to result in the
employment of an interdisciplinary approach with a range of historical, juridical and politological
research methods, definitions and categories inherent to international law and international relations.
Part One of the article focuses on research tools and ideological essentials, while Part Two examines
the actual techniques to have secured the ‘export of revolution’. Conclusions. The insight into the
precontractual documents has delineated a number of key lines for cooperation, the latter dominated
by bilateral collaboration (and described in Part One). This paper shall characterize the rest that
can be together identified as a set of efficient means to have consolidated ideological foundations
of the ‘export of revolution’ that include as follows: ‘soft power’ of educational projects; security
arrangements for Soviet territories and borders, including assistance to Mongolian comrades in their
fight against the White Guard, allocation of the Red Army units within Mongolian territories until
the complete eradication of the White threat, with the participation of military units from the Far
Eastern Republic; economic cooperation through mutual financial and economic support of industrial
construction projects, resource development and social infrastructure initiatives, etc.; joint actions on
the international stage pinnacled with the recognition of the Mongolian People’s Republic by China
(1946) and the rest of the world community (1961). The study concludes these lines of cooperation
were successfully implemented within the two following decades and proved crucial not only in the
shaping of a new political order in the region but also facilitated the development of the eastern border
security system in the pre-war period and WWII proper (1936–1945), which restrained Japan from
initiating military actions against the USSR up until 1945 and guaranteed the security of Mongolia
Keywords
About the Authors
Pavel DudinRussian Federation
Cand. Sc. (Political Science), Director of the Center for the Study of State and Law of East Asian
Countries
Zufar Khusainov
Russian Federation
Dr. Sc. (Law), Professor
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Review
For citations:
Dudin P., Khusainov Z. Precontractual Essentials for the ‘Export of Revolution’ in East Asia and Regional Political Order in the Zone of Soviet Influence: Positive Experience and Socialist Ideology in Mongolia. The Year 1921. Part 2. Oriental Studies. 2021;14(2):226-237. (In Russ.)