Modern Mongolia needs to be thankful to Marx, not Chinggis

Tomorrow, it is 200 years anniversary of Karl Marx. Therefore, we talked with philosopher Molor-Erdene.S.

-First, let’s start our talk about this person. Today’s youth might not know him that well.

Marx is a philosopher from Germany. He created a theory to change the world and wrote a classic book called “Das Kapital” on political economy. Together with his friend Engels, he wrote world famous book “Communist Manifesto”. They are two of his most important books. In “Capital”, he wrote that economy and politic are inseparable. As long as economy isn’t regulated by politic, it cannot go on by its own. When economy is independent, it will be for profit, therefore capitalists derive from it. When capitalists increase, poor people will also increase. The book tells that politics must regulate economy in the right way. The “Communist Manifesto”, tell us exactly what to do now. They did not just sit with the theory, they went into action. They were asking the “proletarians of all countries come and unite; riches will never be satisfied”, 150 years ago.

-Why is it important to talk about Marx today?

-When economic crisis happened in 2008, they became aware of the fact that Marx was right. Americans understood that capitalists, feudals and liberalists exploit the country and get rich.

Marx told that the world will be destroyed unless we don’t stop capitalists who live for the sake of the profit. It is exactly happening as he said and world is getting ruined. In Mongolia, we also have some capitalists and few ministers and chiefs are starting to get rich.

-Why is capitalism wrong?

-Because it is a society for profit. Benefit is greed. Greed has no limit. When one is greedy, there is always other person being exploited.

-Can you explain about Marxism-Leninism?

-Lenin read Marx’s book and thought about how to save Russia from western capitalists and put Russia on new road. At that time, Russia was country of farmers. They were rich country with huge territory. That’s why western capitalists tried to exploit them. So, Lenin took action against them and created socialism in Russia. In 1917, Russians made revolution for not to become servant of lord, slave of riches, for equality of all people by limiting the right of feudals and riches. The properties of some of them were taken away. Then there is the theory of Marxism-Leninism.

There is Maoism in China. Mao Zhedong has read Marx-Lenin’s book and made revolution to save farmers from riches and feudals. At that time, rich people could send their children to school. After revolution, children of farmers were able to go to school.

In our country, we started to socialize our society after the 1940s. Socialism means literacy in society. Before the People's Revolution, there was national illiteracy. We started living in a house just recently. Before that we lived in a felt “ger”. So it was Marx who brought us into this modern, comfortable, clean, not rude life. Today's Mongolia should be thankful to Marx, not Chinggis.

Today, the fact that we were able to enter modern society was thanks to Russia and China. Mongolian territory isn’t from Chingis. Russia and China allowed Mongolia to own this territory to “Treaty of Khyagt.”

-From your view, did we understand Marx?

-We didn’t. There were few who understood, but it was ruined by people who wanted to make Mongolia feudalist in 1990. In all steps of our life, there was theory of Marx. Family life and school education are all related to Marx. We must talk about Marx. We say there was state and law during Chinggis Khaan. That’s false. There wasn’t any state or law or even one house. We have houses only during socialism. Before People’s Revolution, there was no state in Mongolia.

Marx was the first person telling humanity about creating socialism. He said let’s be equal by separating from riches and lord. Without equality, everything is possible for the riches. For normal civilians, there is no freedom to study and live happy. Without equality, there is no possibility of freedom.

We say nomads are free. That’s false. Freedom should be talked about in social life, not riding horse through steppe.

Freedom is discussed in family life, equality between communications of parents and children. Personal liberty and theory of human right comes from Marx. This was socialism, whereas Mongolians didn’t understand socialism.

Because there was no philosophy knowledge, “Capital” and “Communist Manifesto” were mistranslated. The biggest mistranslation is “Ахуй анхдагч ухамсар хоёрдогч”. In truth, it means how we live and exist predetermines your mind. Become educated. Without education, there is no development in your mind.

Even if you are great person's child, if you do not have education, what can you do? We have this mentality that "a great man's child is great." In fact, there is no such thing. A champion's child is not a champion. There is no equality in Mongolian society.

Therefore, during socialism, we were told to become educated by leaving monastery and “ger”. Yet, how are we today? Monasteries and churches are being built in every aimag and sum. Where are schools building library? We met knowledge and education of humanity during socialism, yet going back to superstition today? This is my biggest question.

-What is society?

-We are not able to become one society. Society is people with equality. To become a society, we shouldn’t bother each other, defraud each other, be rude to each other and be equal to each other, no matter whose child you are. Yet we could not become society and going through course of feudalism. Only what kind of cellphone you have, who is your friend is important these days. We can not just marry to someone unless we ask about it from monks. Today in 21st century, we could not talk about such stupid things like if it is compatible by zodiac sign, and then let’s get married.

By theory of Marx, around 1940s, we left “ger” and came to Ulaanbaatar. So, all of us had jobs. Then in 1990, privatization destroyed it. At that time, second big movement came into Ulaanbaatar. But it was people whose factory was destroyed and become unemployed in their own aimag and sum. So they came and stayed in Ulaanbaatar with their “ger”.

They came to Ulaanbaatar with the hope to find a job, but they are working lowest level of jobs. That’s why they seeen themselves as lost cause, so they send their children to the universities and pay money to this failed universities in Ulaanbaatar. All of them have become business organizations. They won’t create intellectuals. During socialism, National University of Mongolia created intellectuals; today they won’t make you an intellectual.

Today, intellectuals are not born in Mongolian society. Most important theory of Marx was the birth of intellectuals. Intellectuals are people live on their salary and create and construct the society. Doctors and teachers and so on. New feudalism has arrived here. Mongolia has become country of feudalism. About this, I wrote in my book “Equality, Equal Chance”.

-Then how can we leave feudal society?

-Today, we deem being poor and suffering as obvious things or fate. There cannot be fate in 21st century. How to get rid of this filthy society that discriminates between rich and poor and always talks about money. Money never brings happiness. Respect and acceptance are the keys to happiness. There is a program called “100 Erhem”. A few feudal lords sat down and praised each other.

We can leave this feudalist society by realizing theory of Marx. But we don’t even have science institute, political organization and university lectures to make us leave feudal society and bring us to modern society.

In order to leave this new feudal society, obviously we cannot make revolution. We will walk along with modernity through education, acceptance and respect.

-“Equality, Equal Chance” book is coinciding with 200 years of Marx.

-I’m happy that the book is published at the right timing. This book is for leaving new feudalism. Biggest concept of Marx is equality. Everyone must have equality, regardless of their root, money and power; someone shouldn’t have more right than anyone. This is what he said.