Introduction
Learn about the story and the tactics (protests, hunger strikes) that led to Mongolia’s change from authoritarianism to democracy.
This article has been sourced from Daniel Hunter’s book published by 350.org called The Climate Resistance Handbook. Read below or see pages 7-10. The Commons Library has added images and headings.
Mongolian Case Study
Hashbat Hulan was disgusted with her government. The situation in the 1980s in Mongolia was harsh. Mongolians were ruled by a tough authoritarian government. The government crushed all dissent, leaving one political party — their party. As a student, Hashbat decided to make a change. She met in secret with other young people.
They discussed forcing a governmental change. Some said it couldn’t be done. But Hashbat and others continued. The young people were taking an enormous risk. They knew the government would use force to stop them.
The government had nearly wiped out the whole Buddhist community. It had killed one out of five monks; most of the rest had fed. But Hashbat also knew people were tired of the current situation. Not just tired — angry and frustrated. That anger had no outlet until Hashbat and her friends came up with a public action.
Risking Protest
On International Human Rights Day in 1989, the youth risked a protest. The government had carefully planned a series of speeches and military parades. It was in the great square, in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The youth organised a group of about 200 people. The protestors stood with banners opposing the government’s rule and chanted louder than the rock bands the government had paid for.
This got people’s attention. The protestors were not the first to have this feeling. But they said it aloud.
They gave voice to a feeling that had been kept silent by fear.
At the time, most of the adults just whispered about the protests. Youth around the country copied them with marches of their own. Hashbat then faced the question every movement faces over and over again: What next?
Creation of the Mongolian Democratic Union
The youth took two paths quickly. The first was to create an organisational structure so they could make decisions and decide their goals. They also needed to choose tactics — the actions they thought would get them to their goal. They settled on a name — the Mongolian Democratic Union (MDU). They created a citizens’ manifesto, with goals such as democratic elections in which any parties would be free to run.
They grew so large they needed a coordinating committee. They didn’t want to operate like the government, with meetings in secret. So the MDU decided to hold open meetings — with over 1,000 members taking part.
The second decision was to switch tactics, and escalate. Doing the same tactics would become routine. They didn’t want to be routine – they wanted to make possible what wasn’t possible before. And they wanted tactics that would apply pressure on the government to give in to their demands.
It’s like a game of tug of war. They had to keep applying more and more force in order to win.
The youth knew they were in a unique position. Most of the group’s leaders were educated — some were even sons or daughters of government officials. Hashbat was the daughter of a government diplomat. That offered some level of protection. But they knew winning their demands would require sacrifice. Sacrifice meant they would have to take personal risks.
Hunger Strike
Their tactic: Go on a hunger strike until their demands were met. Many of the youth activists had studied India, Russia, and China, where hunger strikes were sometimes successful, and sometimes not. It doesn’t work if people don’t know about it. So they held the hunger strikes in the public square — where everyone could witness them.
Hashbat and others started the hunger strike on March 7, 1990, at 2 pm, when the temperature in the square was -15 degrees Celsius. That really got people’s attention.
Allies
They also knew they had to recruit allies. They reached out to a wide range of civil society groups. Five hundred workers at a nearby mine stopped work for one hour in solidarity. Monks joined and offered their support. Teachers went out on their own strikes. Change was in the air.
The pressure mounted on the government, which tried negotiations and offering weak compromises to stop the energy. But the youth — and now the other groups, too — refused to accept anything more than their core goals. This brought in more allies and opened up space for more tactics. And they won.
The government reluctantly announced democratic elections with all political parties able to participate. The struggle wasn’t over, but the youth had won a huge victory.
Social Movements are like a Wave
There are lots of lessons on how social movements win in this story.
You win by using a range of tactics. You escalate so that you keep applying more force on your opposition. You win by ignoring the people who say you can’t win. You organise allies, you sacrifice, and you keep active.
One key lesson is they helped birth a movement. Movements are forces of collective energy, carrying deep emotions like anger and love and moved by hopes and dreams for large-scale change. You know it’s a movement because of the momentum and growing energy.
Movements are like a wave. They are a bundle of energy made up of many parts. The movement is not just one group or organisation. The MDU was joined by teachers, workers, and monks. Each group had its own part, its own methods, its own tactics. But the overall feeling was what made it a movement.
Movements are sometimes easier to see from afar (which is why, in this book, I tell stories both of climate justice movements and other social movements). When we’re in the middle of a movement, it can look chaotic and disorderly. Movements are not clean. They are messy. And when inside them, we are painfully aware of their short‐comings.
Most people don’t notice movements when they are small. Nobody in Mongolia knew how big that first protest was going to become. People only notice movements when the wave has gotten big enough.
This fact is important because it makes the humble work each of us does, however we are contributing, meaningful if we are in touch with the energy of the movement.
Understanding movements helps us understand how our actions are part of a bigger whole.
About Book
This article is from the Climate Resistance Handbook which brings together a wealth of learnings from the climate justice movement. It starts with breaking social myths about how social movements win. Then dives into campaign tools and frameworks you can use. It closes with how to grow your group and use creative, impactful actions and tactics. This book is full of stories of climate warriors from around the globe and historical movements. It’s filled with practical wisdom and inspiration to make you more effective, more active, and ready for what’s next.
Read more excerpts from the book.
- Pillars of Support: The Upside down Triangle
- Replace Endless Actions with Campaigns
- Building Movement Capacity and Structure: Ella Baker and SNCC
- Building Leadership Capacity: The Ladder of Engagement
- Campaign Tactics
Other Languages
This article can be read in different languages. See pages 12 – 18 from the book links below. Please Note: With different translations these page numbers may vary slightly.
- Handboek voor Klimaatverzet Dutch – Nederlands
- Manuel de résistance climatique French – Français
- Handbuch für Klima-Retter:innen German – Deutsch
- Iklim Perlawanan Panduan Indonesian – Bahasa Indonesia
- クライメート・レジスタンス・ハンドブック Japanese – 日本
- Manual de Resistência Climática Portuguese – Português
Explore Further
- Mongolians win multi-party democracy, 1989-1990, Global Nonviolent Action Database
- Authoritarianism: How You Know It When You See It
- Democracy Undone: The Authoritarian’s Playbook
- Block, Bridge and Build: Playbook for an Inclusive Multi-Racial Democracy
- How Democratic States Can Effectively Support Pro-Democracy Movements
- Nonviolent Action and Pro-Democracy Struggles
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