After twenty years of warfare, he united most of the Mongol clans and was given the honorary title Genghis Khan "Universal King" in The unparalleled conquests of the Mongols under Genghis Khan enabled them to expand their empire far beyond their own territories in Asia, as far as central Europe. The Mongol Empire lasted approximately years, until internal conflicts caused its power to wane.
In the 17th century, the former empire lost its independence and was ruled by the Manchus for years. In the Manchu government was overthrown; the Mongols spent the next ten years freeing themselves from Chinese domination with Russian assistance. A decade of political and military struggles led to the Mongolian-Soviet treaty of , which recognized Mongolia's independence. In , the Mongolian People's Republic was officially established as the second socialist nation in the world after the U.
Major democratizing political and economic reforms began in the late s following the disintegration of the U. This democratic movement resulted in the emergence of Mongolia multiple political parties and the beginnings of a free market economy by National Identity.
National culture—including societal organization, governance, land management, cultural customs, and material culture—was largely shaped by the nomadic pastoral lifestyle. The legacy of Genghis Khan's empire is a rallying point for Mongol nationalist pride today. Ethnic Relations. Approximately 78 percent of people are Khalkha Mongols. The largest of these minority groups, Kazakhs make up 4 percent of the total population.
Small numbers of Russians and Chinese permanently live in Mongolia. While relations between Mongols and Russians are generally warm, widespread resentment exists among Mongols for the growing presence of entrepreneurial Chinese in their country. Rapid urbanization and industrialization accompanied extensive Soviet aid following World War II and in the s, the country adopted a new economic strategy that added industrial activities and more extensive farming to its mainstay of livestock production.
Many people migrated from rural to urban areas to work in the new industrial centers, and a population that was 78 percent rural in was 58 percent urban by Many urban settlers continued to live in traditional nomadic gers, round tents made of folding wooden walls and heavy felt outer coverings. Food in Daily Life.
Approximately twenty five million head of livestock supply the staples of the diet; meat and dairy products feature prominently in this cuisine. Mongolian cooking is generally very simple and does not use many spices, flavorings or sauces. Common dishes include steamed meat—filled dumplings buuz , mutton soup with noodles guriltai shul and fried meat pasties huushuur.
Mongolians drink copious quantities of milk tea suutei tsai , which frequently contains salt and a generous spoonful of fresh or rancid butter. Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Food is an important element of the Mongolian hospitality tradition. When guests arrive, each household sets out a special hospitality bowl containing homemade cheeses, flour pastries bordzig , sugar cubes and candy. The fattest animals are slaughtered to be eaten. Meat-filled dumplings are traditionally served to guests.
Vodka shots are served at regular intervals during a celebration. Basic Economy. Primary to the economy are the "five types of animals:" sheep, goats, cattle mainly yak , horses, and camels. From these livestock numerous animal products are harvested, including meat, dairy products, hides, and wool.
Agricultural production takes place in some regions where grains wheat, barley, oats , animal fodder, potatoes, and other vegetables are grown. The country is rich in natural resources including coal, copper, gold, fluorspar, and molybdenum, and has prospective areas for oil extraction that are currently being explored.
Land Tenure and Property. Before socialism, a quasi-feudal system existed in which local aristocratic families and monasteries primarily governed: they administered pastureland, settled disputes between herding households, and collected taxes. Herders mostly owned their animals but paid taxes to the nobility for using pastureland. In the 's, the U.
However, widespread resistance by herders delayed the implementation of nationwide herding collectives until after World War II. Under the socialist system, the numbers of private animals that could be owned was tightly restricted, but these restrictions began to be lifted in the late 's.
Major Industries. A number of manufacturing plants were built under socialism which continue to operate today. Industries include food and beverage processing, leather goods, textiles, carpets, chemicals, cement, and mining operations, especially coal mining.
Under socialism, the country participated in Comecon, the U. Approximately 85 percent of foreign trade was with the Soviet Union. In the early 's, the abrupt loss of foreign aid from the U. Since then, the country has been developing its free market economy and products now being exported include livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, copper, and fluorspar and other nonferrous metals.
The country maintains trade relations with over 25 countries and joined the World Trade Organization in Division of Labor. In rural areas of the country, livestock production still predominates followed by crop production. In herding households, people of all ages are involved in safeguarding, caring for, and increasing the herds on which they subsist. While both young men and women participate in herding activities, older persons may help with caring for animals at the campsite and doing household chores including repairing tools, preparing hides, sewing, cooking, and childcare.
By contrast, in urban areas manufacturing, industrial, and service-oriented jobs are the norm. For these jobs, specialized abilities and training are more frequently required. Classes and Castes. Like many nomadic pastoral cultures, the Mongols had a segmentary society, originally organized into a hierarchy of families, clans, tribes, and confederations.
While social classes including nobility, herders, artisans, and slaves existed, the social structure was not completely rigid and social mobility was possible. Under socialism, economic and social equality increased as variation in herd size and wealth levels was reduced. Economic expansion and rapid industrialization also contributed to increasing social mobility. The post-socialist period has been marked by increasing wealth differentiation. While certain segments of the population, such as new entrepreneurs, have prospered in the s, others have become rapidly impoverished.
Symbols of Social Stratification. In ancient times, material cultural objects including headdresses, clothing, horse-blankets and saddles, jewelry, and other personal objects were visual symbols of tribal affiliation and social status. Today emerging wealth is often shown by purchasing and displaying Two cars travel up a street in the capital city of Ulan Bator. The population in was 58 percent urban.
As a socialist nation, Mongolia modeled its political and economic systems on those of the U. A major transition in governmental structure and political institutions began in the late s in response to the collapse of the U.
Free elections in resulted in a multiparty government that was still mostly Communist. A new constitution was adopted in However, after four turbulent years and a series of prime ministers, the MPRP regained control of the government in The highest legislative body is a unicameral parliament called the State Great Hural with 76 elected members.
A president serves as the head of state and a prime minister is the head of government. After legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is typically elected prime minister by the parliament. The president is elected to a four year term by popular vote. Local government leaders are elected at the aimag provincial and soum district levels.
Social Problems and Control. The original Mongolian legal code was the yasa , a body of laws created after Genghis Khan's death but greatly influenced by his system of state administration. This legal code dealt with military discipline, criminal law and societal customs and regulation. The modern legal system is closely related to that of the Soviet Union. In the post socialist era, emerging poverty has resulted in an increase in crimes such as property theft and robbery, especially in the major cities.
Military Activity. Situated in the geographically strategic location between Russia and China, the country is deeply concerned with national security issues. Mongolian and Soviet troops have generally been closely allied throughout the 20th century. These armies fought together in the Mongolian Revolution and in the s against Japanese border incursions. Under socialism, both Soviet and Mongolian military bases existed in the Gobi region where the Mongolian border with China was heavily guarded.
Mongolian nomads cook at a stove outside a yurt. Meat and dairy products are a predominant staple of the diet. An elaborate social welfare system was established under socialism, providing all citizens with access to health care, education, and pensions.
The government received significant subsidies from the U. Following the withdrawal of Soviet aid, funding these programs has been a major challenge. New social problems, such as the existence of several thousand street children, have arisen as fallout from the ongoing economic crisis.
Division of Labor by Gender. For many centuries, there was a customary gender division of labor in this nomadic pastoral society. Men typically handled external affairs including military, administrative, and trade matters.
Men were primarily responsible for herding animals, hunting, slaughtering animals, and maintaining animal shelters. Repairing carts, tools, and weapons were also considered men's work.
Women were mainly responsible for housework, milking animals, making dairy products, cooking, washing, sewing, and nurturing children. Relative Status of Women and Men. Unlike their counterparts elsewhere in Asia, Mongolian women historically enjoyed fairly high status and freedom.
Since fertility was valued over virginity, the Mongols did not place the same emphasis on female purity as found in the Islamic societies in Asia. Although women had legal equality with men under socialism, they were burdened with the responsibilities of housework and childcare as well as their labor for wages.
Traditionally, families were the main unit of production in this herding society. The kinship system was patrilineal and sons generally established households in a common camp with their fathers. Marriages were arranged by parents and a bridal dowry usually consisting of animals was negotiated based upon the social status of the families.
The 20th-century norm became for children to choose their own marriage partners with less extensive parental involvement. Domestic Unit. Several generations of families customarily live together in a nomadic camp known as a khot ail "group of tents" and share herding tasks.
They conceived, for example, the idea of a new written language that could be used to transcribe a number of the languages within the Mongol domains. Khubilai Khan commissioned the Tibetan 'Phags-pa Lama to develop the new script, which came to be known as "the Square Script" or the 'Phags-pa script. Completed around , the Square Script was a remarkable effort to devise a new written language read more about the Square Script here. The Mongol rulers, however, did not foresee how difficult it would be to impose a written language on the population from the top down.
Though they passed numerous edicts, regulations, and laws to persuade the public to use the new script, it never gained much popularity and was limited mainly to official uses — on paper money, official seals, a few porcelains, and the passports that were given by the Mongol rulers. The Mongol rulers were ardent patrons of the theater, and the Yuan Dynasty witnessed a golden age of Chinese theater. The theater at this time was full of spectacles, including acrobats, mimes, and colorful costumes — all of which appealed greatly to the Mongols.
The Mongol court set up a special theater within the palace compound in Daidu Beijing and supported a number of playwrights. Many dinosaur fossils still lie exposed today, so remember to glance down every now and then. Three million people live in Mongolia. An estimated 25 to 40 per cent of them live as nomadic herders. Are you ready for an adventure to Mongolia? We've been running small group adventures for 30 years, so we've got a fair few travel tales to share.
Likes: exploring, getting lost, eating, drinking, hiking, driving, flying, sailing, dancing, meeting new people, getting outside of our comfort zone.
Dislikes: staying still for too long. Lol do you kids not have Google? Can you please say anything about the climate. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Home » 10 weird and wonderful facts about Mongolia.
The endangered two-humped Bactrian camel is native to Mongolia The two-humped Bactrian camel is indigenous to Mongolia. Mongolians are always ready for a guest Image by Mikey Sadowski. Image by Erin Rogers. Image by Mikey Sadowski. Essential Russia. View trip. One Week Camping in Iceland.
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