This is Mongolia, this is the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region under China Both are Mongolia, but why did they split? This video will talk about from a historical perspective, why are there two Mongolia? We will start with three small questions and restore the historical truth in detail. Like all place names Like all place names, they are geographical concepts accumulated through history. It cannot be wiped out if some people, or even a generation, disagree, and the same is true for "Mongolia" It is people who give place names connotations, so I want to answer the questions of what is Mongolia and where is it? So I want to answer the questions of what is Mongolia and where is it? We must first understand who call themselves Mongolia? Mongolia as a political and geographical concept first appeared in the eighth century That is to say, among the Chinese historical materials of the Tang Dynasty Mongolia, also known as "Tatar", after the Turkic empire declined rapidly in North Asia Rise of the Tatars Initially, the Mongols were distributed in the northern part of the Mongolian Plateau, all the way east to the Daxinganling Mountains However, after the Turks weakened, the Liao Empire became the absolute hegemon in this region. The Khitans attacked the Song Empire to the south and the Tatar tribes to the north. It was not until the 12th century that the Jurchens' Jin Kingdom rose and began to encroach on the weakening Liao Empire. In 1127, the Jurchen army defeated the Liao Kingdom He immediately raised troops and went south to destroy the Northern Song Dynasty and became the new overlord on the East Asian continent. However, what the Jurchens did not realize was that The Mongolian tribes further north are also gradually moving towards unification, which will pose a huge threat in the future. In 1206, Bor, the young leader of the Mongolian Qiyan tribe, died under Temujin. Unified the Mongolian tribes that had been fighting for hundreds of years Temujin called himself Genghis Khan, which means the ruler of the universe. And established a new country named "Yekhe Mongol Ulus", which is the Great Mongolian Kingdom At this point, the concept of Mongolia has officially entered the stage of history. Genghis Khan and his sons conquered east and west Extend the tentacles of the Great Mongolia to all directions of the Eurasian continent In 1279, it took more than 40 years for the Great Mongolia to finally destroy the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, the territory of the Mongol Empire was the largest in human history. However, the good times did not last long, and the Great Mongolia quickly split into four major khanates. The Yuan Dynasty, which ruled China, was also expelled to the north of the Great Wall by Zhu Yuanzhang's Ming army in 1368. Mongolian dignitaries fled back to their hometown in the Mongolian Plateau Generally called Beiyuan in history books Later, in 1388, the Northern Yuan regime collapsed, and the Mongolian tribes once again fell into division. It is divided into two parts, namely Tatar in the east and Oara in the west. Although in a divided situation, due to the rise of the Golden Family And the Mongolian identity that condenses it continues to exist At this point, you may wonder why modern Mongolia is divided into northern and southern parts. Instead of the Eastern and Western Mongolia of the Ming Dynasty? Yes, Inner and Outer Mongolia divided into north and south is a very new political geography concept. To the Ming Empire in the south, there was a group of Mongolian tribes, or Tatars, in the north. But there is no concept of Inner and Outer Mongolia On the other hand, for Mongolia itself at that time, there was no such thing as internal or external What they mainly look at is which tribe you are from Is there any ancestral genealogy of the Jin family or other nobles? There is no mention of Inner and Outer Mongolia. So how did Inner Mongolia, divided into north and south directions, come from? In fact, the emergence of the distinction between inside and outside is related to a group of people who are neither Han nor Mongolian. That's Manchurian At the end of the 16th century, the Manchus emerged in the northeastern region of East Asia. Nurhachi, the Jurchen leader of Jianzhou, unified the divided Jurchen tribe at that time. In 1616, Nurhaci formally established the Later Jin Kingdom Became an emerging force that the Mongol Federation and the Ming Dynasty could not ignore The co-leader of the Mongol tribe at that time and the last Mongol Khan to hold real power He was Lin Dan Khan, who was born in the Chahar tribe of today’s Inner Mongolia. Let’s take a look at this map of the Qing Empire drawn during the Republic of China It can be noted that this is the Chahar Ministry of Lin Dan Khan The large area to the east is the post-unification Later Jin Dynasty, which was later the Qing Dynasty. But there are many Eastern Mongolian nobles between them, the largest of which is Horqin At that point in time, the Houjin Kingdom, which unified the Jurchen tribes, became more and more powerful. The Horqin tribe close to Manchuria began to get closer and closer to the Jurchens As the leader of the Mongolian Communist Party, the Chahar tribe can tolerate this, but who can't? As a result, the conflict between Mongolia and Hou Jin came to the surface. In 1619, Nurhachi led his army to defeat Lindan Khan and block the Chahar forces. After the death of Nurhachi The newly enthroned Huang Taiji made more efforts to intermarry with various tribes in Eastern Mongolia. Attempts to isolate Mongolian communist leader Lindan Khan Finally, in 1635, Chahar couldn't stand it anymore. Lindan Khan's son Ezhe surrendered to the Manchus Huang Taiji married his daughter to Ezhe and named him Prince Chahar. The Chahar tribe was incorporated into the Manchu-dominated Eight Banners system In 1636, tribes of all sizes from Eastern Mongolia gathered in Shengjing, which is today’s Shenyang. Jointly praise Huang Taiji as the Great Khan In order to effectively manage this group of Eastern Mongolian nobles who were the first to defect to the Manchus, In the same year, the Qing Dynasty established the Mongolian Yamen, which later became the Lifan Yuan. In the Lifanyuan system, these Eastern Mongolian tribes were the first to submit to the Manchus. Known as Nezasak Mongolia Their entire political, social, and even economic order was integrated into the Eight Banners system But they are not the Eight Banners of Manchuria, but the Eight Banners of Mongolia These Inner Mongolian nobles were able to hold military positions But the Manchus controlled these tribes to a high degree All matters, big or small, must be approved by the Manchu people. Opposite to Inner Zasak Mongolia is Wai Zasak The so-called Outer Zasak Mongolia is not completely equivalent to today's concept of "Outer Mongolia" In the Qing Dynasty, Outer Mongolia did not include the twenty-four tribes of Inner Mongolia. The rest are like the four Khalkha tribes, as well as hereditary princes from Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet and other places All belong to the category of Waizasak Waizhasak is different from the Eight Banners system in Inner Mongolia Each tribe still retains a hereditary lord, the Zasak In other words, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties allowed Mongolia, the outer vassal state, to retain its original hereditary system of nobility. For example, the four tribes of Khalkha are still controlled by the descendants of the Jin family and the Borjijin family. Huibu, Qinghai, Mongolia, Tibet and other places also retain their original systems The Manchu Qing Dynasty would only send ministers or generals to supervise these places. But basically they only deal with military affairs and don't get too involved in other affairs of various ministries. Careful friends may ask Why is the concept of "Outer Mongolia" today roughly equivalent to the four Khalkhas? Since Qinghai Mongolia is also Mongolia, why did the later Outer Mongolia not include Qinghai? This is a very good question. In fact, except for Qinghai and Mongolia, There is another, perhaps more famous, Mongolian tribe that lives in the west of the Gobi Desert. That is today's Xinjiang and Kazakhstan areas, that is, Junggar Mongolia In the middle of the 18th century, after the Qing Dynasty destroyed the Junggar Khanate, This large area was also included in Waizhasak, but almost no Mongolian Zasak exists in Xinjiang They are all Uighur Zasak So in fact, Waizhasak under the Qing Dynasty was not just Mongolia. It also includes many Uyghur princes and Tibetan nobles. So it’s hard for you to say that all Waizhasaks are Mongolians. Even the Mongols His life and religious system are also very different from those of Inner Mongolia and Khalkha. For example, Qinghai Mongolia, although from the perspective of ancestral genealogy, these people are also Mongolians But their degree of Tibetization is quite high So although they also call themselves Mongols But in terms of living habits and religion, it is actually closer to Tibet. Therefore, in the eyes of the four Khalkha tribes in Outer Mongolia, these people are not the same group as them. The situation in Junggar is even more complicated In 1759, the Junggar Khanate was annihilated by the Qing Dynasty, and the Manchus massacred the Junggar Mongols. In order to check and balance the influence of Junggar The solution the Manchus thought of was to improve the status of the local Uyghur princes Directly leading to the Mongolian influence in Xinjiang becoming zero This is why some scholars maintain that although Muslims have long existed in Xinjiang, But the most important factor influencing the Islamization of this region is The Qing Dynasty destroyed the ruling class of Junggar and Mongolia, and Islam received institutional protection. This period of history is very complicated, and I can’t explain it clearly in just a few words here. Let’s skip it for now and return to the issue of Inner and Outer Mongolia. Once we have this understanding, we can know that Mongolia in the Qing Dynasty was actually divided into four divisions It’s just that the twenty-four divisions of Inner Mongolia and the four divisions of Outer Mongolia are more important. But it is by no means that the Mongols only exist in these two areas. However, when it comes to the differences between Inner and Outer Mongolia In addition to different social and political systems, the two religions are also different. Although the main belief in both Inner and Outer Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, both regions have their own living Buddhas. The living Buddha worshiped by the four tribes of Khalkha is Jebtsundamba Hutuktu This living Buddha was recognized by the Dalai Lama of Tibet in 1651 Forty years later, Emperor Kangxi of Manchuria also conferred the title of Living Buddha Jebuzun as the "Great Lama of Hutuktu" In charge of religious affairs in the Khalkha Department of Outer Mongolia In Inner Mongolia, its living Buddha is called Zhangjia Hutuktu In fact, around the same time, Living Buddha Zhangjia was also canonized as "Zhasak Lama" by Emperor Kangxi. In charge of religious affairs in Inner Mongolia Living Buddha Jebuzun has reached his tenth life in Mongolia and still has great influence. The religious leader of Mongolia However, the Living Buddha Zhangjia from Inner Mongolia came to Taiwan with the Nationalist Government after 1949. and passed away in 1957 According to rumors, the seventh Zhangjia once said that he would not reincarnate before the Nationalist government counterattacked the mainland. If you go to Zhonghe Zen Temple in Beitou, Taipei today, you can visit the cemetery of the 7th Zhangjia But interestingly, the Dalai Lama said in 1998 He found the 8th Changjia Living Buddha in India but has not been recognized by the government of the Republic of China or the People's Republic of China Tracing back to the roots, all this complicated situation originated in the Qing Dynasty Under the political and religious system of the Qing Dynasty, there were differences between Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia. But the two are not completely separate entities. After all, both Inner and Outer Mongolia at that time were part of the Manchu Empire. Although Inner Mongolia had already begun to have Han people stationed in it during the Qing Dynasty, But the overall national policy of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was to divide Mongolia and Han There were very few exchanges between Mongolia and Han Even from the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, the Qing government opened its borders from time to time Let the Han people go to Mongolia to cultivate land, but the scale will not be large. The Manchus became the intermediary between the two major ethnic groups, and their power was greatly strengthened in the process. However, Emperor Xuantong abdicated in 1912 and the Republic of China was established. Directly caused the political separation of Inner and Outer Mongolia On January 1, 1912, the Republic of China was officially established in Nanjing On February 12, the Qing Emperor issued an edict to abdicate. It was clearly stated that the Qing Empire's "emperor's ruling power would be made public to the whole country and established as a republican constitutional state." In other words, not only Aixinjueluo abdicated the throne The edict also made it clear that China would transform from an imperial system to a republican system The new republic that succeeded the Qing Dynasty was called the Republic of China. However, the Outer Mongolian elite began to engage in the independence movement long before the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911. In 1901, the Qing government announced the launch of the "New Deal" Strive to incorporate Mongolia into the empire's provincial system This move means that the Qing Dynasty will no longer give preferential treatment to Mongolia. Instead, they must bear the local government’s expenses themselves. The New Deal caused dissatisfaction among many Mongolian nobles But the Mongols at that time had no choice It wasn't until 1905 that they found new partners outside, and that was the Russians In the Russo-Japanese War, although the Russian Empire was defeated by the Japanese Empire However, in the friendship treaty signed by Japan and Russia later, Confirmed that Outer Mongolia is Russia’s sphere of influence The Mongolian princes began to seek economic and military assistance from Russia and actively sought independence. On December 29, 1911, with financial assistance from Russia, the religious leaders of the Khalkha Mongols The eighth living Buddha, Jebuzun, declared the independence of Mongolia and proclaimed himself the Great Khan of Mongolia. In January 1912, the Russian Empire’s troops entered Outer Mongolia At the same time, many Inner Mongolian nobles raised troops in response to Mongolia's independence. However, the key factor in whether Inner Mongolia joined Mongolia at that time was It was the intention of his religious leader Zhangjia Living Buddha VII Living Buddha Zhangjia quickly decided that Inner Mongolia would not join the ranks of Outer Mongolia for independence. After Yuan Shikai became the President of the Republic of China Like the Qing Empire, recognize the leadership of Zhangjia Living Buddha in Inner Mongolia Yuan Shikai promised Zhang Jia The new republic will grant all the preferential treatment conditions promised to Inner Mongolia by the Qing Empire in the past For Yuan Shikai, the Han-centered republican system It is not enough to convince the border areas to remain within the Republic of China. Therefore, some scholars believe that the reason why Yuan Shikai finally chose to proclaim himself emperor was not entirely selfish. Rather, they hope to ease the centrifugal force in the border areas by returning to the imperial system. Although the Hongxian monarchy quickly failed, it did not prevent the Beiyang government from continuing to try to control Mongolia. At that time, the Russian Empire, which was stuck in the European battlefield, was no longer able to take care of Far Eastern affairs. Stop supporting Mongolia’s independence movement In 1918, Xu Shuzheng, commander of the Northwest Frontier Army of the Anhui Clique, led his troops into Outer Mongolia. Force Outer Mongolia to revoke its autonomy But as the Soviet Union overthrew the monarchy, Russian power returned to Outer Mongolia again In 1920, the Anhui-Zhizhi War broke out, and Xu Shuzheng, who belonged to the Anhui clique, led his army back to the Central Plains There is a power vacuum in the military in Outer Mongolia Living Buddha Jebuzun once again declared the independence of Mongolia and introduced Soviet power into the country. This time, they established a pro-communist constitutional monarchy In 1924, Living Buddha Jebuzun passed away. Mongolian leftists joined forces with the Third International to overthrow the monarchy and convert to communism However, during the chaotic 10s and 20s in Outer Mongolia, Inner Mongolia properly cooperates with the government of the Republic of China During the period when the Beiyang Government was in power, three special administrative regions were established: Chahar, Suiyuan, and Rehe. Continue to promote immigration real borders since the late New Deal Although a large number of Han people entered Inner Mongolia, But they all come to work for the traditional Mongolian nobles. So in fact, the strength of the Mongolian nobles has been greatly improved. However, with the Northern Expedition of the Chinese Kuomintang by Chiang Kai-shek in 1928, In name, the country was unified, Nanjing was established as the capital, and the plan to divide Inner Mongolia into a province was immediately launched. Rehe, Chahar, and Suiyuan were all upgraded to provinces The Nanjing government hopes that the central government will directly control the border areas As we saw during the New Deal in the late Qing Dynasty The policy of centralization met with strong resistance from the Inner Mongolian nobles, who demanded that the National Government abandon centralization of power. Recognize Inner Mongolia’s autonomous status At this time, the elites of Inner Mongolia such as King Yun, King De and others Already somewhat aware of the ambitions of the Nanjing government that are different from those of the Beiyang government Hope to seek a more integrated China Therefore, the leaders of Inner Mongolia sought help from the Japanese Kwantung Army, which had a rapidly increasing influence in Northeast China. In 1931, the September 18th Incident broke out, and the Kwantung Army fully occupied Manchuria. Two years later, in 1933, the Kwantung Army invaded Jehol Province and annexed it to Manchukuo Until 1937, the entire Inner Mongolia had become Japan's sphere of influence Therefore, we can say that in the first half of the 20th century The founding of the Republic of China, and Japan and Russia’s intervention in Mongolia The political division between Inner and Outer Mongolia is getting further and further. However, with the end of World War II in 1945, the separatist situation between Inner and Outer Mongolia disappeared. The Soviet Red Army fully occupied not only the Northeast And the entire Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia are under the cover of its military power. Under these conditions, there is another opportunity for the unification of Inner and Outer Mongolia. Elites on both sides hope that the two Mongolias will be unified However, the opportunity for the unification of Inner and Outer Mongolia was blocked by Stalin, the supreme leader of the Soviet Union. Stalin was worried that a unified Mongolia would trigger a "Pan-Mongolian" separatist movement in the Soviet Union. In fact, with the exception of China and Mongolia Russia is the country with the largest Mongolian population Kalmykia in the south of Siberia and Buryatia in the north of Mongolia They are all areas dominated by Mongolians. Even as Russia transitioned from an imperial to a communist regime, and even to the Russian Republic today All oppose any form of pan-Mongolian separatism In the context of the Cold War, Mongolia must remain divided In fact, throughout the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the leaders of Inner Mongolia repeatedly applied to Outer Mongolia to join All were rejected by Mongolia It’s not that Outer Mongolia is unwilling, but that Mongolia’s big brother Stalin doesn’t agree. National self-determination has always been a scam, and a big country is the last word In short, all things in the world, whether independent or unified Whether it exists or does not exist is the result of historical accumulation and does not change with personal will. The emergence of Mongolia stems from the great success of Genghis Khan's family in the 13th century But within a hundred years, the Mongol Empire fell into disintegration and decline. Although the divided Mongolia is still strong But gradually their status was replaced by another group of equally powerful but more cunning Manchus. Under the rule of the Manchus, Inner and Outer Mongolia gradually took shape through institutions. But the turning point for the split between the two was the abdication of the Manchu emperor in 1912 After the founding of the Han-centered Republic of China The Living Buddhas of Inner Mongolia collaborated with China and later the Japanese Empire The Living Buddhas of Outer Mongolia are closely tied to Russia After the end of World War II, the opportunity for the reunification of Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia appeared again. But in the political game of great powers, everything is wiped out National self-determination never exists, only big countries have the final say
