Military Intervention in Tuva (1918–1919)

Abstract The establishment of a protectorate over Tuva by Russia in 1914 was followed by attempts to introduce Russian administrative and judicial system, which did not always take due account of characteristic features of a well-established internal self-governance of Tuvans. The 1917 revolutions in Russia and the civil war that immediately ensued also had an influence on Tuva, exacerbating the already complicated political situation. The Urga and Peking governments contributed to this by taking concerted action to capture the territory of Tuva. The groundwork for military action was laid closer to the border line, and in 1919 Tuva was invaded by armed units of the Chinese and Mongolians, who used foodstuffs and carts requisitioned from local people to replenish supplies and recruited the local population to reinforce their troops. The Omsk Government was unable to provide any substantial help. This article, based on archival studies and a contributions series of Russian and international scholars, attempts to offer a number of insights about the reasons, course, and outcome of this armed conflict.