Great monuments carry their significance from a bygone past into a faraway future. The Statue of Sukhbaatar is Mongolia’s foremost landmark that symbolizes not only the nation’s capital, but also the creed of its people. Ever since it was unveiled in the summer of 1946, the monument, located in the heart of the city, has been a witness to many life changing events for Mongolians. Today, as citizens of a democratic nation, united by the belief in liberty and prosperity for all, Mongolians have gotten used to the freedom that lies in their own hands. However, this has not always been the case. At the dawn of the 20
th century, Mongolia, with a native population that hardly reached half a million, was a disorderly battlefield for ancient and nascent ideologies and their foreign and domestic defenders. As a result of the ongoing terror and bloodshed from all sides, the nation was on the verge of extinction.