Монголоведение (Apr 2021)
History of Relationships between the Russian Consulate General in Mongolia and the Government of Bogdo Gegeen, 1917: One Archival Document Revisited
Abstract
Goals. The article aims to give a brief review of the Draft Agreement on the lease of land plots to Russian citizens for commercial and industrial premises as a source on the history of relations between the Russian Consulate in Mongolia and the theocratic government of Bogd Gegeen. Materials and Methods. The typewritten document in Classical Mongolian is kept in the archives of the Center of Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs affiliated to the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies (Siberian Branch of the RAS). The study employs the method of source study formulary analysis according to which the document can be referred to as an individual formulary. Results. The paper discovers that the investigated Agreement was written in 1917. It analyzes the structure and content of the document, its source characteristics to present the specific historical background of the document’s creation, the latter’s role and significance in the history of relations between Mongolia and the Russian Empire. The most important sections of the Agreement (preamble and attachments thereto) were translated by the author. Conclusions. The Agreement reflects the interests of Russian merchants and industrialists who sought to legally secure their special rights throughout Outer Mongolia, which, apparently, caused the anxiety of the Chinese Government and Chinese merchants. After the conclusion of the ‘Friendship Agreement’ and the Trade Protocol in 1912, the Mongols restrained from providing specific categories of land for quite a long time, and Russian citizens could not use all the rights under the Trade Protocol. The main representative of Russian interests in Mongolia was the Consulate General of the Russian Empire in Urga. Chronological analysis of the document gives some reason to state that the negotiation process took several years — from circa 1912 to 1917. The Agreement contains some valuable and important data on the country and its realias during those years.
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