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Cover of Mongolia in the Twentieth Century
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Mongolia in the Twentieth Century

by Stephen Kotkin

Book Details

Publisher:M.E. Sharpe
Published:1999
Pages:338
Format:BOOK
Language:en

Reading Info

About This Book

This volume examines Mongol history over the twentieth century, embracing not only Mongolia proper but also Mongol communities in Russia and China. The contributions are by authors from Japan, Russia, Taiwan, Great Britain and the United States.

Our Review

This comprehensive collection offers a panoramic view of Mongol history across the twentieth century, tracing the complex political and cultural transformations of not just Mongolia proper but also diaspora communities in Russia and China. The multinational authorship brings together scholars from Japan, Russia, Taiwan, Great Britain, and the United States, creating a truly global perspective on Central Asian geopolitics. Readers will encounter the dramatic shifts from Qing dynasty rule through Soviet satellite status to democratic transition, all while following the Mongol people's ongoing navigation of competing national identities.

What makes this volume particularly valuable is its refusal to treat Mongolia as an isolated case study, instead presenting it as a crossroads of Russian, Chinese, and global influences. The inclusion of cross-border Mongol communities provides crucial context for understanding how ethnic identity persisted across artificially drawn national boundaries. History enthusiasts interested in Central Asian studies and comparative communism will find rich material here, as the collection illuminates how a traditionally nomadic culture adapted to—and sometimes resisted—twentieth-century modernization pressures. The multinational scholarship ensures no single national narrative dominates, offering instead a multifaceted examination of a people caught between empires.

Themes

History

Subjects

History