Damdin Sükhbaatar

Who is Damdin Sükhbaatar?

Damdin Sükhbaatar was a Mongolian revolutionary leader honored as the 'Father of Mongolia's Revolution' for his role in securing Mongolia's independence in 1921. Born in 1893 near what would become Ulaanbaatar to a poor family, he grew up doing odd jobs, later joined the army as a machine gunner, and earned the honorific title Baatar, meaning 'Hero,' for his bravery fighting pro-Japanese forces. Drawn into revolutionary politics after the collapse of the Qing dynasty and Mongolia's brief autonomy, he helped organize an underground revolutionary circle in 1919 that merged with another group led by Khorloogiin Choibalsan to form the Mongolian People's Party. In 1921, after traveling to Soviet Russia to seek support, Sükhbaatar led the Mongolian partisan army that captured Khüree (now Ulaanbaatar) from occupying forces under Baron Ungern-Sternberg, an event commemorated as the founding moment of the modern Mongolian state. He subsequently served as commander-in-chief and minister of the army in the new revolutionary government. He died suddenly in February 1923 at only thirty years old. Mongolia's capital was renamed Ulaanbaatar, 'Red Hero,' in his honor the following year, and his name and statue remain central symbols of Mongolian national identity.

Sources: Damdin Sükhbaatar biography, World History Edu · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Damdiny Sühbaatar entry · Banknote World, Damdin Sükhbaatar: Father of Mongolia's Revolution