Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal
Prime Minister and President of Mongolia (1916-1991)
Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal (Mongolian: Юмжаагийн Цэдэнбал) (17 September 1916 – 20 April 1991) was a Mongolian politician who served as the leader of the Mongolian People's Republic from 1952 to 1984. He served as general secretary of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (the ruling party) from 1940 to 1954 and again from 1958 to 1984, chairman of the Council of Ministers (head of government) from 1952 to 1974, and chairman of the Presidium of the People's Great Khural (head of state) from 1974 to 1984.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Tsedenbal_BundesArchiv.jpg/220px-Tsedenbal_BundesArchiv.jpg)
Quotes edit
Address at the Third Plenum of the Central Commitee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (1981) (excerpts) edit
- Our homeland is confidently developing along the path of building the material and technological foundation of socialism. Our economy is steadily growing, year by year. The aggregate social product, generated national income and social labor productivity growth figures for 1981 exceed the average annual growth figures for the preceding five years. The working people of our country, engaging in socialist competition in honor of the historic anniversaries of the party and people's revolution, have achieved concrete results in meeting the plan targets of the first year of the 7th Five-Year Plan. Our rural working people produced 9.1 million head of young livestock, which is 7 percent more than the figure for 1980.
- All our organizations should devote special attention to ensuring uninterrupted growth and development of agricultural production, normal growth in livestock herds and productivity, and increased farm crop yields. To achieve this we must work with a will to improve style, forms and methods of guiding the development of agricultural production on the part of party, government and agricultural agencies. One should intelligently utilize in this area party and government measures aimed at encouraging agricultural production. We know that since 1971 procurement prices on principal livestock products have been increased five times, in amounts from 5 to 230 percent.
- Our principal shortcoming is poor organization of party and government Verification. We must seek to ensure that each and every worker develops a reflex of an implacable attitude toward all negative elements which impede our forward movement. We must ensure that well organized verification becomes a continuously operating positive stimulus and companion in the work of party, government and public organizations at all levels. Monitoring and verification of execution is an indissoluble, unique component part and the heart of organizational work, the right hand of party, government and public organizations in performance of their principal functions. Well-organized monitoring and verification of execution should be utilized as a powerful means of day-by-day correction of discovered shortcomings and assurance of unity of word and deed. In order to achieve the stated goals the directives, decrees and tasks of our organizations should always be specific in indicating the person responsible for executing the goals and the timetable for their completion.
- Continuously improving the oversight mechanism, the party sets for itself the goal of ensuring a high degree of efficiency, organization and follow-through by cadres. Proceeding from this, it is Our obligation to develop in a systematic manner follow-through discipline in each and every official of party, government and public organizations, by steadily increasing demandingness and by better organization of political indoctrination work among labor forces.
- Every individual should constantly bear in mind that the absence of or poorly organized oversight as well as a low degree of demandingness on oneself and others lead to the appearance and growth of weeds in our ranks. Weeds are the worst enemy of a good harvest. It is our sacred task promptly to pull out by the roots weeds of all types and varieties. Each and every member of the socialist society is obligated strictly to evaluate his activities and conformity between the level of his knowledge and abilities with today's demands, and constantly to expand his horizons of knowledgeability, bearing in mind that history is not standing still, that every day there is an increase in the pace of scientific and technological advance, work forms and methods are enriched, and the know-how and abilities of leading labor performers become improved. Working systematically to increase demandingness on ourselves and others, we should always ensure an implacable attitude toward violations of party, state and labor discipline and eliminate cases of failure to carry out party and government decisions and to observe the laws of the state.
- The primary task of party, governmental, public, economic, and cultural organizations is to ensure the most painstaking and attentive approach to worker letters and complaints, bearing in mind the fact that there are major shortcomings in this work both at the central level and in the localities.
- As we know, through the fault of the most aggressive imperialist circles, particularly U.S. imperialism and hegemonist forces working together with them, the world situation remains tense. The Reagan Administration and NATO ruling circles are launching furious attacks against the process of détente, against present world international political realities, especially in the 1970's. They are vainly attempting to turn to their advantage the advance of world events, to weaken and drive back the forces of peace and socialism, and to crush the struggle of peoples for national and social liberation. The present U.S. administration is implementing a new global strategy, aimed at gaining U.S. domination in world affairs. Attempting to achieve military superiority over the Soviet Union, U.S. imperialist circles are escalating the arms race and increasing the production of new weapons of mass destruction. Washington strategists are persistently seeking to expand the realm of activities of the aggressive NATO bloc, are hastily putting together military-political alliances in various parts of the world, and are establishing so-called "rapid deployment forces" with the aim of direct interference in the affairs of other sovereign nations and crushing the national liberation movement of peoples.
- Our party has always attached and continues to attach primary importance to strengthening the unity and solidarity of the socialist countries, their close interaction and coordination of foreign policy efforts. The necessity of strengthening the unity of the brother parties, countries and peoples is more urgent than ever before, because international imperialism is today waging a frontal attack against world socialism, making every effort to undermine it from within. This is evidenced in particular by intrigues on the part of the imperialists and hegemonists in regard to People's Poland and socialist Cuba, as well as the brother countries of Indochina. They do not hide their plans to weaken Poland, to detach it from the harmonious family of the socialist community, thus undermining its unified might. Everybody knows what serious consequences would result ^rom disruption of the correlation of military-political forces established on the European continent and throughout the world.
- We should note that imperialist circles, together with the Chinese hegemonists, are stepping up their hostile actions and intrigues against the cause of peace, freedom, independence and social progress of the peoples of Asia. There is being formed what is virtually an aggressive military-political tripartite alliance between the United States, China, and Japan, the cutting edge of which is directed primarily against the Soviet Union and the other Asian socialist countries. The Reagan Administration's decision to sell modern offensive weapons to China, as well as the intensifying remilitarization of Japan are fraught with a serious threat not only to their neighbors but also to world security.
- Southeast Asia remains a region of intensive struggle by peoples for the right to determine their destiny independently. Shots continue to be fired from the Chinese side of the border between Vietnam and China. Through their accomplices in this region, Beijing and Washington are stubbornly attempting to restore the old order in Laos and Kampuchea and to push their peoples off the path they have chosen. In spite of various obstacles put up by hostile forces, however, the peoples of Indochina are striding confidently along the road of progress and strengthening of national independence.
- The forces of peace and progress are capable of pushing back and eliminating the threat of another world war. Today the struggle of peoples and all progressive forces throughout the world to avert the threat of war is assuming an unprecedented scale and depth. Millions of people of the most diverse orientation, belonging to various political, public, religious and other organizations, are taking part in this campaign. The peoples of Europe and people of good will throughout the world are becoming increasingly more deeply aware of their direct responsibility for resolving the most critical problem of the present day — holding nuclear war in check and defending the peace.
- Comrades! The current upsurge in aggressiveness on the part of the most reactionary imperialist circles is due primarily to a radical change in the correlation of sociopolitical forces in the world arena and the progressive loss by monopoly capital of its international position. It is connected with further weakening of the foundations of world imperialism as a consequence of the deepening crisis phenomena in its citadel and reflects its attempts to overcome them by means of external political adventures and to dump all the consequences on the shoulders of peoples.
Speech at Reception Given by the Soviet Ambassador in Celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution (1982) (excerpts) edit
- The formation of the USSR was an event second in importance only to the October Revolution, ...It was of importance to world history, and it was the direct offspring of that revolution. As is well known, the Great October sounded the summons for all nations that were under the oppression of the tsarist autocracy to take part in the active struggle. After winning a historic victory over the exploiters, the peoples of the former Russian empire united, in accordance with voluntary principles, into a single multinational socialist state, that was created on principles of genuine equality and brotherhood.
- The entire post-October history of the development of mankind is the history of the unbelievably difficult, but victorious procession of socialism. In the struggle against imperialism and every other form of reaction, the peoples of the earth constantly derived, and continue to derive, inspiration from the example of the Great October and its homeland, the Soviet Union, which marched, and continues to march, in the vanguard of that struggle. The active peace-loving policy of the Communist Party and the Soviet government, a policy based on principles of the friendship and mutual understanding of nations, of equal cooperation and the peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems, is a decisive factor that guarantees lasting peace and the security of nations. Continuing the traditions that were laid down by the great Lenin, the Soviet state is fighting actively to bridle the arms race and to take effective steps in the area of disarmament so as to preclude once and for all from the life of mankind the threat of a nuclear catastrophe.
- Confronted by the increase in the aggressive strivings on the part of American imperialism, directed against the socialist community and the peaceful life of the peoples of various continents, the Soviet Union and the other countries of socialism were forced to take steps to reinforce their defensive might, as the chief means of bridling the imperialistic forces of aggression. This finds the understanding and support of all the peace-loving forces. The Soviet Union and its Armed Forces have repeatedly proven their adherence to the cause of peace and their faithfulness to their pledges to serve as allies of their friends. We view the concern shown by the Soviet leadership for the Soviet Armed Forces to be noble efforts for preserving the peace and guaranteeing the peaceful life of the peoples of all the continents. Everyone who treasures peace and calm on the earth looks hopefully and trustingly toward the Soviet Union, justly seeing in the first state of workers and peasants a might defender and an invincible bulwark of peace on our planet. And so today, on the eve of the glorious anniversary of the Great October, it is especially gratifying for us to note that the Soviet Union, undeviatingly following the behests of the great Lenin, holds high the banner of peace and progress, under which newer and newer nations from various continents on the earth are consolidating themselves.
- For more than 60 years the Mongolian nation has traveled along the path of freedom and happiness that was laid by the Great October. During all these years we sensed, and continue to sense, the steadily/increasing, noble support of the Soviet citizens, their selfless, varied, fraternal assistance in our laborious forward movement from the backward feudal past to modern economic and social achievements. The entire experience of the construction of socialism in Mongolia, bypassing capitalism, is the most brilliant confirmation of the viability and rightness of Leninist theory, the real embodiment of which began with the victory of the Great October.
External links edit
- Encyclopedic article on Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal on Wikipedia
- Media related to Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal on Wikimedia Commons