Russian-Mongolian Trade and Economic Relations at the Beginning of the 20th Century: History and Stages of Development

Abstract

For a long time, trade relations in this region have played an important role between agricultural and nomadic cultures. The Great Silk Road, the first trans-Eurasian trade route connecting East Asia and the Mediterranean in antiquity and the Middle Ages, promoted an intensive exchange of goods, interpenetration of cultures, transfer of knowledge and technology. Russia and Mongolia have long common borders, close economic, cultural, and religious ties of border territories. The study shows the development of Russian-Mongolian trade and economic relations, considers the volume of trade, analysis of the range of goods, the ratio of the trade turnover of the Russian-Mongolian trade, the main directions of trade routes, expeditions to study the Mongolian market. The characterization of the rivalry of Russian, Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs in Mongolia is given. Different positions of Russian statesmen, trade circles and the public regarding the prospects of Russian-Mongolian trade are revealed. An assessment of the routes of scientific and trade expeditions in the study of the state of the Mongolian market is given. The problematic sides in the Russian-Mongolian trade and the ways of their solution are revealed. Particular attention is paid to cross-border territories that played an important role in the development of trade and economic relations. In his work, the author relied mainly on the principles of historicism, scientific nature and objectivity, historical-genetic, historical-dynamic, comparative-historical, retrospective methods, which allowed the most complete analysis of the main stages and patterns, dynamics of trade, problems and prospects for the development of Russian Mongolian trade and economic ties. An analysis of Russian-Mongolian trade and economic relations allowed the author to come to the conclusion that, despite the existing problems in the development of trade, Mongolia occupied an important place in the political and economic interests of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, especially for Siberian commercial and industrial capital, which had common long borders and long-standing trade and economic ties. The study showed that the border territories of Siberia were closely integrated into trade and economic relations with Mongolia and were a kind of outpost in Russia’s Far Eastern policy.