Tuvinian People's Republic
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Tuvinian People's Republic (People's Republic Tannu Tuva) (1921-1944) was a state in the territory of the former Tuvan protectorate of Imperial Russia, also known as Uryankhaisky Krai (Урянхайский край).
Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 Communist troops took Tuva in January 1920. The chaos accompanying this era allowed the Tuvans to again proclaim their independence. On 14th August 1921 the Bolsheviks (supported by Russia) established a Tuvinian People's Republic, called Tannu Tuva until 1926. The capital Belotsark (Белоцарск) was eventually renamed to Kyzyl (‘Red’, in Turkic languages; Russian transliteration: 'Кызыл'). A treaty between Russia and Mongolia in 1926 affirmed the country’s independence.
Tuva’s first Prime Minister was Donduk Kuular. He made Buddhism the state religion and tried to limit settlers and propaganda coming from Russia. In Russia meanwhile five members of the KUTV (Communist Union of Toilers of the East) were appointed ‘commissars extraordinary’ for Tuva, including one Solchak Toka. Staunchly Communist, they purged the Tuvan Communist Party of about 1/3 of its members and pushed collectivisation in a traditionally nomadic country. Eventually, in 1929, Prime Minister Kuular was arrested (and later executed). The new government set about trying to destroy Buddhism and shamanism in Tuva, a policy encouraged by Joseph Stalin. Evidence of the success of these actions can be seen in numbers of Lamas: in 1929 there were 25 Lamasaries and about 4000 Lamas and Shamans; in 1931 there was 1 Lamasery, 15 Lamas and around 725 shamans. The attempts at eradicating nomadism were more difficult. A census in 1931 showed that 82.2% of Tuvans still engaged in nomadism. In 1932 Solchak Toka was made General Secretary of the Tuvan People’s Revolutionary Party. Toka would stay in power in Tuva until his death in 1973.
The USSR annexed Tuva outright in 1944 as Tuvan Autonomous Oblast, apparently with the approval of Tuva’s Little Khural (parliament), though there was no Tuva-wide vote on the issue. Toka was given the title of First Secretary of the Tuvan Communist Party. Tuva became an autonomous republic on October 10, 1961.nl:Volksrepubliek Tuva