Inevitable Democratic Revolution

By Batbayar "Baabar" Bat-Erdene

gTrans.by Dr. Altangerel Alimaa

B.Batbayar, better known as Baabar, is a well respected columnist and political commentator in Mongolia. He is one of the founding members of the democratic movement, and later, the Democratic Party of Mongolia. Baabar received the state's highest honor for his work in Mongolian history. His book "Twentieth Century Mongolia" has been translated in nine languages. Baabar's analysis of Dr. Choyog Davaadash's research paper on the evolution of Mongolia's democracy was originally published in Dal Newspaper in July 2015, and appears here with permission from the author.

Dr. Choyog Davaadash published a research paper titled "Some characteristics and complications of Mongolian social transformation". Today (July 29), we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the beginning of a social transition, because the first truly free and democratic election was held on this very day. Poland, which was one of the first countries to transition from a centrally planned, authoritarian regime to a market economy with a liberal democratic system, celebrated the same anniversary of their historical event just last year. Mongolia is a pioneer amongst the 40 countries that have made such grand transitions. All of Mongolia voted for their representatives at the nation's supreme governing institution, which can be regarded as an event significant not only politically, but also socially. Even though the Polish Solidarity Trade Union and the Mongolian Democratic Union were both initiators and pioneers in their nation's democratic movements, the celebrations of these anniversaries have more significance for the general public, as they provide people with a chance to evaluate the past.

In his paper, Dr. Davaadash analyzes the social, political, and economic changes that have been underway Mongolia, and elaborates on the characteristics and features, and the success and failures of the transition. I believe there is no higher quality academic work than Dr. Davaadash's that approaches the topic with scientific methodology and examines it from every angle.

Dr. Davaadash claims that 1990's process was a revolution, as "social transformation is the change of the social structure that is deliberate and without turning back." He explains that for Mongolia the process was under the direct influence of Soviet perestroika, starting in 1985, and the movement against the communist regime expanded in 1989 to Eastern Europe.

He highlights that this time was when the objective of setting up socialist and communist systems had elapsed ideologically and economically, as well as its resources.

A transition of social structure based on private property to public assets happened from 1921 to 1959, when the cooperative movement was complete. The transition happened for over 40 years. During this time, ideological theocracy was replaced by Marxism. Politically, the monarchy was replaced by a socialist government that was managed by a single party with a bureaucratic apparatus under direct foreign influence. Economically, a private ownership and property base was replaced by a public property system. If building socialism was the single objective for Mongolia, it was achieved by the 1970s. By allocating all resources to build a society where hating private goods and preferring public well-being over personal happiness as a modus operandi and value system, a medieval feudal society made a big jump toward civilization with great advancements in industrialization, agriculture, health, education, culture, and demography.

By the 1990s, when Mongolia was lacking in all its resources in building socialism and had become a beneficiary country of its neighbor as a direct result of geopolitical games, the...