Donduk Kuular | |
|---|---|
Куулар Дондук | |
 | |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers of theTuvan People's Republic | |
| In office 1925–1929 | |
| Preceded by | Soyan Oruygu |
| Succeeded by | Adyg-Tulush Khemchik-ool |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1888 |
| Died | March 23, 1932(1932-03-23) (aged 43–44) |
| Nationality | Tuvan |
| Political party | Tuvan People's Revolutionary Party |
Donduk Kuular (Tuvan:Куулар Дондук,[kuːˈlɑrdɔnˈduk]; 1888–1932) was aTuvan monk, politician, and prime minister of theTuvan People's Republic.
Born inTannu Uriankhai during the rule of theQing dynasty of China, Donduk was originally aLamaist monk.[1] As leader of a group of Russian-supportedBolsheviks, he proclaimed the independence of the People's Republic of Tannu Tuva from theRussian Empire in 1921. He subsequently switched his allegiance to theTuvan People's Revolutionary Party.
Aware of his young nation's vulnerability, Donduk sought to establish ties with theMongolian People's Republic. His monastic background and theocratic inclinations gave him a close relationship with the country's lamas, whose interests he sought to advance in spite ofJoseph Stalin's growing irritation. In 1926 he established Buddhism as the state religion of Tannu Tuva, which in November was renamed the Tuvan People's Republic.[2]
Stalin found Donduk's separatist and theocratic tendencies obnoxious, and counter to communist principles of internationalism and atheism. In 1929 he was removed from power and arrested. Meanwhile, five Tuvan graduates of theCommunist University of the Toilers of the East were appointedcommissars extraordinary to Tuva. Their loyalty to Stalin ensured that they would pursue policies, such ascollectivization, that Donduk had ignored. Acoup was launched in 1929. One of these commissars,Salchak Toka, replaced Donduk as General Secretary of the Tuvan People's Revolutionary Party. On 22 March 1932, Donduk was sentenced the highest penalty – death through execution by a firing squad – alongside 3 other figures named "exploiters" includingMongush Buyan-Badyrgy,[3] and the following day they were executed.[4]
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