In that year the last Chinese troops in Mongolia had been expelled by the White Russian general Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, prompting Soviet intervention.

The Mongolian People's Republic was effectively an unrecognized satellite state of the Soviet Union (USSR).

In the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance signed on 14 August 1945, China agreed to recognize Mongolian independence after a successful referendum.

In January 1946, the National Government of the Republic of China officially recognized the "independence of Outer Mongolia" based on referendum results.

[4] Sergey Radchenko, a professor of East China Normal University noted that the "referendum was regarded by both sides as political theatre, due to the peculiarity of a supposed unanimous 100% vote in favour.