 In doing so she became the first female head of state in the modern era not to inherit the title.In doing so she surpassed the achievement of fellow Communist Alexandra Kollontai, who had become the world's first female government minister in 1917.However, the Tuvan Republic's lack of diplomatic recognition, the scant information and reporting available outside the Soviet Union concerning the extremely isolated nation, Operation Weserübung and the imminent invasion of France meant that this milestone went unnoticed for some time.