Mongols never were the leading society of the world, but they gained unprecedented fame and power in the 13th century when under the bloodiest ruler, Genghis Khan, and his followers they built a vast Eurasian empire. They ruled almost entire Asia, and Eastern Europe and influenced many historical developments dramatically. They incited many past expansions and forced the results. They were the movers and shakers of the time. New people, cultures, and countries were the outcomes of it. The new look at the world affected the world. Yet, the effect was not as dramatic in Western Europe as in Central Asia and Russia. Thus, the modern Russians were the heavy mix of the Scandinavians and the Tatars and not, as they were told, the Slavs. Slavs were in the middle of the turmoil early on and then, squeezed out entirely in the perpetual blood-shedding between the Vikings (the Russians) and the Tatars. At least a half of the modern time Russia consists of the tribes (Tartars, Mongols, Kazakhs, Buryats, Tuvans, Bashkirs, Chinese, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmens, Mordvins, Kyrgyz, Karaims, Azeris, etc.) that were a part of the Golden Horde at the time. That mix made the Russians the way they think and act, the Russian history and the Russian culture, as they are.
Who could really say what the wild genes may want and may do? Who could understand the nomad spirit chained by restrictions of the organized society? All that created a wild card character, as the computer professionals call it. It could be too unpredictable and even outright dangerous. Too often the Russians still demonstrate the mentality of the wild, murderous tribes and the Golden Horde. “Want” was the only verb considered. Too often they still act as they rule the world and the world still has to pay them the tribute. Too often they get away with it. Too often they scare us into submission. But, the world in most parts did not agree, and the conflicts create more conflicts with the Russians at the foundation and amid it. Beware of the Russians and the mad dogs!
After Genghis Khan’s death, the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol/Tatar states, but these (because of the different reasons) broke apart in the 14th century. Only the Crimean Horde survived until the 18th century sucking blood from the people in Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, the Baltic States, and Poland. That was the cancer of the time and the place nothing could cure while no one was strong enough for the surgical approach. The Crimean Horde (The Crimean Khanate) was a mercenary state selling the power of war and death to anyone who could pay and taking the spoils of the war as well. Often, they just took the spoils of the war without providing the power of war and death, the support they were paid for. They could break promises at will. They always won no matter who was the victor on the battlefield. They were known for betrayal and changing sides in the middle of the battle, adding considerably to the collected misery, and the combine hates from everyone around. Did they care? Tatars had no friends at all. Still, no one knew what they would do this time and hoped not to see them on the other side. That is why Tatars were always employed or just paid off. That was a lucrative place to be. And, in the 18th century, when the Russians became bold enough to attack the Crimean Horde, many joint the effort. The citizens of the Crimean Khanate were beaten up and eventually retired to their original steppe’s homelands, and later, came under the Chinese rule. And, Crimea, as a part of Ukraine, became Russian. These were not happy times, and Mongols had to wear the yoke they used to force on the others for centuries. The world remembered that quite well, so help was not coming any time soon. They were alone, and no one was afraid of them any longer.
\In 1921, with the strong Soviet backing, Mongolia revolted against the Chinese and won its independence. The leader of the revolution was Ulaani Baatar, who believed to be a direct descendant of Great Genghis Khan and that supported the prophecy. Only a direct descendant of Great Genghis Khan could lead the people of Mongolia and succeed. Details of his life and the family tree were not clear, but people believed in it, and that was enough to spark a successful uprising. The pro-Soviet Communist regime was installed in Mongolia in 1924 and lasted, with the constant Soviet intervention, for almost seventy years. Yes, the Soviet bayonets and the limited financial support did help. The Soviets were draining the Mongolian natural resources in exchange for the small place in the Socialist camp. The enormous military base and the thousands of Soviet military and civilian professionals and advisors underscored the Soviet control of Mongolia and the attempt to “Russify” the small nation. That nation over the centuries contributed so much to the Soviet Citizen’s genetic pool that it was difficult to separate them anyway. Most of the Russians had the Tartar and the Mongol blood and often, in large quantities. What was the Soviet citizenry anyway? The Soviet-Mongolian integration was somewhat peaceful with many Soviets being sent to Mongolia and a few Mongols going to the Soviet Union to live, to work, to study, but mainly to learn how to operate the Soviet style. They were brainwashed the Soviet way thus, integrated into the Socialist camp. Yet, no matter how hard the Soviets tried, Mongolia was not developing fast enough. If not for the Silk Road contraband and China, they would be at the very bottom of the Socialist camp, not that they were much higher. Still, any socialist country that was not a part of the Soviet Union was doing somewhat better than the Soviet Republics. They had some breathing room with Hungary, East Germany, and Yugoslavia leading the well-to-do pack. Then, there was Poland and Czechoslovakia, Romania and Albania and only then, the rest of the camp. So, what if Mongolia was on the bottom of the barrel? It was better off than Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldavia or Belorussia. Even Mongolia was better off than they.
In the early 1990s, the Soviet Union had collapsed, and the Soviet influence was no more. The Russians could not afford it, and the rest of the Republics could not afford anything. The socialist approach did its dirty deed, and everyone became equal, equally poor. The redistribution of wealth, income equality, and the general mismanagement of everything brought everyone down to the bottom. Everyone needed help, and no one was offering any. Aid ceased overnight while the Soviet strongmen were tearing the country apart. The ex-Communist Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (the MPRP) gradually yielded its monopoly on power to the Democratic Union Coalition (the DUC), which defeated the MPRP in a first free national election in 1996 in a landslide. That was the first truly free election ever since the revolution that ended the Chinese rule. People had to say something, and they did. For the first time in the history of Mongolia, people had the right to express themselves and not being punished for that. They had the right to speak and to assemble and not to be imprisoned for that. That was something so unfamiliar, so unusual that people were perplexed. How does it work? No punishment? That was the foundation of everything before. Yet, that was a very happy change in their lives that promised a fantastic future at last. Good things could happen now, and it was worth fighting. Since then, the parliamentary elections returned the MPRP to power in 2000 and produced a coalition government in 2004. Strangely to say, but it worked so far.
“What a distinguished assembly,” announced President Vagabundi entering the room and smiling. As always, he was dressed impeccably in a dark Italian suit that was probably worth a yearly salary of the average Mongol, not that one could easily get a suite like that in Mongolia. One had to have money, connections, and access to the right goods. One also had to be able to travel and to the right places. Italy was nice. Money was in short supply in Mongolia, and barter was quite widespread and often preferred. Two-three hundred American dollars a month was a good take home at the time in the region. The cost of everything was going up like the happy yeast was working overtime. Yet, the pension after working for at least twenty-five years was only forty-seven dollars if it was paid at all that month. Eventually, you got your pension but not always when promised.