Khorloogiin Choibalsan was the leader of Communist Mongolia from 1939 until 1952. Known as "The Stalin of the Steppe", his life changed in 1933 when he agreed to become Stalin's lackey under the threat of execution for supposed collusion with Japanese spies.

This led Choibalsan to execute three percent of the Mongolian population in Purges commensurate with Stalin's. His career offers a fascinating insight into the character of Stalin, and also poses an interesting question as to how small countries such as Mongolia often have to settle for partial independence, if they wish to be free at all.

My guest today is Christopher P. Atwood. Chris is a professor of Mongolian and Chinese history at the University of Pennsylvania, and has spent is career studying the Mongolian language and history. He also recently translated The Secret History of the Mongols, a semi-mythical account of the life of Genghis Khan, and the oldest surviving work in the Mongolian language.