The Last Mongol Prince: The Life and Times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966

Abstract

"The Last Mongol Prince: The Life and Times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966" by Sechin Jagchid is reviewed.

The Last Mongol Prince: The Life and Times of Demchugdongrob, 1902-1966. By SECHIN JAGCHID. Bellingham: Center for East Asian Studies, Western Washington University, 1999. xvii, 479 pp. $50.00 (paper).

This is an informative and important, but in many ways frustrating, book. The Last Mongol Prince covers an important period in Inner Mongolian (and Chinese) history through its focus on Prince Demchugdongrob (Prince De), a key actor in various Inner Mongolian movements for independence or autonomy throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Sechin Jagchid writes "[Prince De's] life embodies the history of the Inner Mongolian struggle for national survival during this century" (p. xv). While this statement is perhaps something of an exaggeration, as Prince De is one of the most important Mongolian figures of this period, a book-length work on him is a welcome addition to the literature. The Last Mongol Prince examines not only the life of Prince De, but also the events he found himself caught up in and, in most cases, helped shape or even create. Jagchid's work recounts the continuing struggles to achieve autonomy and the numerous obstacles such efforts encountered. It also provides useful background information on Inner Mongolia during the first part of the twentieth century, and follows Prince De through his time in the Mongolian People's Republic, and his eventual imprisonment in the People's Republic of China.

Jagchid, a prolific writer on early-twentieth-century Inner Mongolian history, brings a unique personal perspective to this work. From a noble family himself, Jagchid personally knew Prince De and took part in many of the events recounted here. The reader is therefore treated to a large variety of materials and information not easily accessible to the English-language reader, if available at all. Additionally, the account is peppered with personal reminiscences, which although welcome, do not always convey the immediacy one might expect from such an approach. Treaties, proposals, and communications are often quoted at length throughout the book, and long footnotes (or sometimes the body of the text itself) list participants of meetings both important and minor.

Out of this wealth of detail, one gains an understanding of Inner Mongolia as a key battlefield for influence between the multiple factions-the Kuomintang, the Chinese Communists, and particularly the Japanese. Despite their at times heroic (and at other times petty) efforts, the Mongolians themselves were little more than pawns. They were courted when convenient, and pushed aside when convenient. Yet in spite of this, the Mongolians persisted, creating at various times the Inner Mongolian Autonomy Movement (1933-34), the Mongolian Political Council (1934-36), and the Mongolian Allied League Autonomous Government (1937-39), among others. Each succeeded, and also failed, to various degrees. Ultimately, a short-lived (1941-- 45) Mongolian Autonomous State was created, but this was accomplished in the context of the Japanese occupation of the region.

It is also precisely the wealth of information that Jagchid offers the reader that ultimately makes this a frustrating book. In this narrative, a largely chronological "Great Man" approach to history, the wealth of information and names often overwhelms any larger sense of structure and context. Nonspecialists, unfamiliar already with the names and events described here, will find it hard to come away with a fuller understanding of the issues at hand as they struggle merely to keep track of the cast of players.

One also should not look to this account for a critical analysis of the events in question. Jagchid attempts to sort out influences and reasons, and does an admirable job of conveying much of the contingent nature of such struggles. Prince De himself often seems swept up in events, reacting to, rather than acting upon, them. This contingent nature is especially clear when Jagchid discusses the Mongolian attempts to seek Japanese aid while maintaining a degree of independence. Yet the actual events, as they unfold, often come across as little more than personality or power struggles between opposed Great Men. Larger contexts and issues are mentioned, but are often lost in the accounts of travels, meetings, and personal slights and ambitions. Additionally, Jagchid's own nationalistic tendencies often intrude into the narrative. We are indignantly informed, for example, that "[u]ltimately, Prince De's own people sacrificed him on the altar of international politics" (p. 442; emphasis in original).

More generally, Jagchid's regard for Prince De seems at times to border on worship, and the book can be read largely as an extended defense of Prince De against his detractors. Despite this, Jagchid is able to present a fairly balanced view of the man, and does not shy from discussing some of his shortcomings. Thus, in discussing Prince De's appointment of an "old and faithful ally" to simultaneous posts in the administration and judiciary, Jagchid notes "this aspect of his loyalty to his friends must be recognized as one of Prince De's shortcomings" (p. 286).

Specialists in Inner Mongolian history, Manchukuo, Japanese imperialism, and related areas will find much of use and interest in this book. A thorough index helps simplify the process of returning to the text to check dates and names, although I would have preferred sub-entries for some of the figures not accorded them. A more serious flaw is the almost complete lack of references. Much of the material is drawn from Jagchid's own experiences, newspaper clippings, personal notes, and so forth. Yet we very seldom are given any indication of where specific pieces of data are drawn from. This is troubling since it is not clear if Jagchid is quoting notes or newspaper accounts, or simply relying on his memory. After reading countless lists of participants at conferences and councils of ministers, I began to assume that Jagchid was working from notes. But then we read his admission that he simply could not remember all the names in one instance (p. 100), and in another he mentions eight ministers while only enumerating seven (p. 177). One is thus left with nagging worries about the completeness and veracity of the other lists.

These reservations, however, should not be allowed to overshadow the importance and utility of The Last Mongol Prince. It is a welcome and important addition to the history of the Inner Mongolian autonomy movements and Inner Mongolia more generally, and should find a place on the bookshelves of any scholar interested in the period.