The Global War, 1955-63: Cold War rivalries -> Sino-Soviet relations in the 1950s and 60s Flashcards
When was the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance?
February 1950
What was the significance of the alliance?
- Suggested they were equals
- Truman had pushed Mao into Stalin’s hands when he could have had an Asian Tito
- Represented global communist unity
What was Mao looking for in the alliance?
Mao wanted military security against US attack, economic assistance to build socialism
What was Stalin looking for in the alliance?
For loyalty (personal, political and ideological) from Mao, particularly in presenting a united front against the USA, and also some territorial concessions in Manchuria
What did the Chinese acknowledge about the Soviets?
Acknowledged the Soviet leadership as the global communist movement, and committed themselves to adopting the Soviet model of economic and political development
How did the alliance lead to the breakdown?
The unequal nature of this treaty, and Stalin’s tactics, and Stalin’s tactics in driving for territorial concessions in Manchuria and Xinjiang brought mistrust and suspicion into their relationship
When did the breakdown begin?
In 1956 and between 1958 and 1962, tensions rose between Khrushchev and Mao
By what point had the Sino-Soviet alliance completely broken down?
By 1962, it was defunct
What factors defined the Sino-Soviet breakdown?
- Ideological gulf
- the struggle for supremacy
- the fear and misunderstandings of each other
What was Stalin’s stance on the Chinese revolution?
- His Chinese policy centred on the idea of getting the CCP to join a coalition with the GMD
- Wanted Jiang Jieshi as leader of China and Mao as his deputy
How was the relationship between the Chinese and Soviet communists already strained before 1949?
Stalin was suspicious of the Chinese communists
- their revolutionary strategy of relying on the peasantry rather than the works to overthrow the ruling elites was at odds with the Soviet mode of revolution
- The sense of independence the CCP acquired in their struggle against both the Japanese occupiers and the Chinese nationalists aroused fears in Stalin that the CCP might not be easy to control once in power
What were Khrushchev’s aims?
- Heal the damage caused to relations with the West by the failure of Stalin’s FP and achieve ‘peaceful coexistence’
- Destalinisation
- Cuts to the Red Army strength, shift to nuclear weapons
- Maintain the CPSU’s position as the leading force in the communist movement - not an easy job after 1956
- Compromises with the USA at the Geneva Conference (1954) over the shape and future of Vietnam, and with France from 1958 over Algeria (it was hoped the new leader of France, Charles de Gaulle, could be detached from NATO)
What suggested there was always a danger of breakdown with Mao?
Mao was a Chinese nationalist and communist
What was Mao’s stance on Khrushchev’s policy aims?
- Mao disliked destalinisation - ran a similar Stalinist regime in the CCP
- Liked destalinisation in EE but not the principle of it of criticising your leader and free channels of communication
- Favoured the cult of personality which gave him an ineffable, infallible, indisputable reputation
What ambiguity in ideology led to the breakdown?
In how to build communism nationally and globally
What were Mao’s aims for the CCP?
Wanted to position the CCP as the leading force in the communist movement and the leader of Third World revolution
What did Mao accuse Khrushchev of doing?
Attacked Khrushchev’s ‘revisionism’ and ‘chauvinism’ and his re-building of links with Tito’s Yugoslavia
What was revisionism?
Deemed by Soviets as a serious heresy within communist ideology
- described by Lenin as ‘opposition to Marxism from within Marxism itself’
- a critical reinterpretation and partial rejection of Marxist theories to accommodate alternative theories of socialism/communism
What did Mao compete with the USSR for during the Vietnamese movement?
Vied with the USSR to control the direction of the Vietnamese national liberation struggle from 1960
What did Mao launch with Taiwan?
Whereas Khrushchev sought peaceful coexistence with the West, Mao launched a conflict with Taiwan (and the USA) in the Second Taiwan Straits Crisis (August-October 1958)
Why did Mao launch attacks on Taiwan?
1) In response to the USA invading Lebanon in July 1958 to keep Arab nationalists from seizing in power
2) In response to Khrushchev not criticisng this
What did Mao say about his aim for the Second Taiwan Straits crisis?
“prove China supports the national liberation movements in the Middle East with not only words but also deeds”
What movement did Mao give his support to from November 1954?
Gave vociferous support for the Algerian national liberation movement from November 1954, and denounced Khrushchev for not doing so
What did Mao do during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Took advantage of the Cuban Missile Crisis to launch a conflict with India over borders in the Sino-Indian War (October-November 1962)
- Khrushchev was a South Asian ally and had a non-aggression treaty
