page_title: Damdin Sükhbaatar
section_title: People's Revolution
hierarchical_section_title: Damdin Sükhbaatar / People's Revolution
caption_attribution_description: English: Painting of Damdin Sükhbaatar
context_page_description: Damdin Sükhbaatar was a founding member of the Mongolian People's Party and leader of the Mongolian partisan army that took Khüree during the Outer Mongolian Revolution of 1921. For his part in the Outer Mongolian revolution of 1921, he was enshrined as the "Father of Mongolia's Revolution".
context_section_description: By August 19, 1920, the Mongolian delegates had all reached Irkutsk and met with a representative of the Soviet Russian Government, named Gapon. Gapon relayed that Soviet Russia was ready to help Mongolia, but that the delegates should explain what kind of government they wanted to establish, how they would fight against the foreign enemy, and what their future policy would be like. In early September, Danzan, Losol and Chagdarjav were sent on to Moscow via Omsk, while Sükhbaatar and Choibalsan were to remain in Irkutsk for military training and to maintain contact between the delegation in Moscow and Mongolia. Bodoo and Dogsom were sent back to Khüree.
  In the meantime, the Chinese had imprisoned a number of members and sympathizers of the secret group. In late 1920, White Russian forces under Lieutenant General Baron Ungern had entered Mongolia from the east, and in late February 1921 occupied Niislel Khüree. Choibalsan and Chagdarjav were sent back into Mongolia to establish contacts with nationalist-minded nobles and other leaders. On February 9, Sükhbaatar was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mongolian People's Partisans. He began recruiting soldiers, and on February 20 the partisans had their first engagement with Chinese troops, followed by other encounters in the following days. At the founding congress of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) at Kyakhta on March 1–13, 1921, Sükhbaatar was again appointed commander-in-chief and elected into the newly established provisional government.
  Immediately after the congress, the provisional government and the MPP central committee decided to seize the Mongolian part of Khiagt from the Chinese troops, and on February 15 an ultimatum was sent to the Chinese military authorities in the town. The Chinese commanders refused to surrender, and on March 18, Sükhbaatar's troops succeeded in taking the town, despite being heavily outnumbered. This day is now the official holiday of Mongolia's army, and is usually celebrated as the equivalent of Defender of the Fatherland Day in Russia. The provisional government moved to the Mongolian part of Khiagt and began to establish Ministries of the Army, Finances and Foreign Affairs, but when a fire in the aftermath of the battle burnt down the greater part of the town, the government moved on to Altanbulag.
  At the end of May 1921, Khiagt came under pressure from Baron Ungern's forces, who moved towards Soviet Russia. This offensive was repulsed by mid-June, with the help of troops of the Far Eastern Republic. At the end of June, the People's Partisans and the Red Army decided to attack Khüree. They reached the town on July 6, having destroyed smaller groups of Ungern's forces on the way.
  On July 11, a new government was proclaimed, with Sükhbaatar becoming Minister of the Army and the Bogd Khan's powers limited to those of a rather symbolic nature.
caption: Painting of Sükhbaatar
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