Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal

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Tsedenbal was born to an ethnic Dörvöd poor nomadic family in Zorigt Khan hoshuun of the Unen Zorigt Khan aimag (present day Davst sum in Uvs aimag). He was the fifth of eleven children in his family (his three siblings died in infancy). In 1925 Tsedenbal became among the first students in the newly organized public school in Ulaangom, graduating in 1929. The same year Tsedenbal went to Irkutsk to continue his education. He spent about 9 years between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, and obtained a degree from the Siberian Finance and Economics Institute.

In 1939, having returned to Ulaanbaatar, Tsedenbal worked first as a deputy minister, and then as a minister of finance. In 1940, at the 10th Congress of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, he became the party's General Secretary.

After taking over premiership in 1952 with Marshal Khorloogiin Choibalsan's death, Tsedenbal successfully purged his political rivals: Dashiin Damba in 1958-59,Daramyn Tömör-Ochir in 1962, Luvsantserengiin Tsend in 1963, and the so-called Lookhuuz-Nyambuu-Surmaayav "anti-party group" in December 1964. He held this office until 1974-06-11, when he became head of state.

His foreign policy was marked by efforts to bring Mongolia into ever closer cooperation with the USSR, though he ostensibly opposed plans to turn Mongolia into a Soviet republic. At the time of the Sino-Soviet split, Tsedenbal decisively sided with the Soviet Union and incurred China's wrath. In Mongolia Tsedenbal is remembered for successfully maintaining a path of moderate socialism during the Cold War.

Tsedenbal was forced into retirement in August 1984 in a Soviet-sponsored move, allegedly on the account of his old age and mental weakness. Jambyn Batmönkh became the general secretary of the MPRP. Tsedenbal remained in Moscow until his death; his body was brought to Mongolia, where it was buried.

His Russian wife, Anastasia Ivanovna Filatova ( _ru. Анастасия Ивановна Филатова), was often said to be the most powerful political figure in Mongolia due to her close relationship with the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

Persondata
NAME=Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Tsedenbal; Юмжаагийн Цэдэнбал (mongolian)
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Prime Minister of Mongolia from January 26, 1952 to June 11, 1974 and President of Mongolia from June 11, 1974 to August 8, 1984.
DATE OF BIRTH=1916
PLACE OF BIRTH=Mongolia
DATE OF DEATH=1991
PLACE OF DEATH=Moscow, USSR