History of the Inner Mongolian independence movement

History of Southern / Inner Mongolian self-determination

From the 1925 Inner Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party to the 2020 language-policy protests.

1 min read

Published

24 September 2026

Status verified as of

22 September 2026

1925-1947: early organising and the autonomous government

The Inner Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, founded in 1925, was the first organised independence movement, facing repeated repression.[1]

On 1 May 1947, the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Government was established under Chinese Communist Party guidance.[2]

1 May 1947 · Administrative change

Establishment of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Government, 1947

China established an autonomous Mongol government under Chinese Communist Party guidance, rather than an independent Mongol state.

Diaspora organising and 2020 protests

The Inner Mongolian People's Party, founded in the US in 1997, and related organisations have advocated secession or unification with Mongolia.[3]

In 2020, language-policy protests in Inner Mongolia were characterized by the Chinese government as evidence of separatism.[4]

2020 · Other

Inner Mongolia language-policy protests, 2020

Protests over changes to language education policy were characterized by the Chinese government as evidence of separatism.

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

Claim: The Inner Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party was established in 1925, influenced by the Communist International, and became the first organised political movement demanding independence for Inner Mongolia; it faced repeated waves of repression over its subsequent history.

Inner Mongolian independence movement (Wikipedia) link, Early Organization section. Source record

Claim: On 1 May 1947, the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Government was established in eastern Inner Mongolia under the guidance of the Chinese Communist Party, with Ulanfu, a veteran Chinese Communist Party member of Mongol ethnicity, becoming its president; this created the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region within a Communist-led Chinese state rather than an independent Mongol state, and many ethnic Mongols held positions within its government.

Autonomous Government of Inner Mongolia (Wikipedia) link, Establishment and leadership. Source record
Inner Mongolian independence movement (Wikipedia) link, Mid-20th Century Development. Source record

Claim: The Inner Mongolian People's Party (IMPP) was established in the United States in 1997 as a diaspora-based continuation of earlier Southern Mongolian nationalist organising, with Temtsiltu Shobtsood as its founding chairman; the IMPP and related organisations, including the South Mongolia Congress, have advocated secession of Inner Mongolia from the People's Republic of China, seeking either independence or unification with Mongolia.

Inner Mongolian independence movement (Wikipedia) link, Modern Era Organizations and Contemporary Goals sections. Source record

Claim: In 2020, protests broke out in Inner Mongolia over changes to language education policy; the Chinese government has cited these protests as evidence of active Inner Mongolian separatism, a characterization this bundle presents as the government's own position rather than an independently adjudicated finding.

Inner Mongolian independence movement (Wikipedia) link, Recent Activity section. Source record