Revisiting Controversial Issues of Buryat-Mongolia’s History: The Position of V. F. Akhanyanov

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to examine the report “On controversial issues in the history of Buryat-Mongolia” made by V. F. Akhanianov at the Institute of History of the Communist Academy. Its focusis on thequestions raised during the discussions in Verkhneudinsk in July 1934 that Akhanianov’s report deals with. The source for the study is the transcript of the report, dated September 7, 1934,that is kept in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Results. The scholarpresented his criticisms of some participants’ opinions but, also, his own views of the issues on the agenda, such as feudalism in the historical context of Buryat-Mongolia, the Russian Empire’s colonial policy, Prussian or American ways of development, forms of exploitation that existed before 1917, October Revolution and Civil War in Buryat-Mongolia, and land reform. Also, the report includes a significant number of ideological statements, which was typical of public speeches in the mid-1930s. The report shows Akhanianov’s expertise in the history of Buryat-Mongolia and his genuine interest in restoring historical justice in the assessment of individual stages in the Republic’s development. In terms of the studies of the historical past of Buryatia, of relevance is also the discussion of the report that followed and the speaker’s concluding remarks. Conclusion.The material presented in the paper contributes to the database in the field of research and is of interest for further studies.