The Sino Soviet Split.

Question 1

When was the PRC declared

Answer 1

1st October 1849

Question 2

When were relations between China and USSR solidified

Answer 2

Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance (1950)

Question 3

What was the terms of the Sino Soviet treaty

Answer 3

$300 Million loan and technicians and technology to assist economic development.

Mao gave 1 million troops for Russia to fight the Korea war.

Question 4

When did Khrushchev take over from Stalin

Answer 4

1853 he replaced Stalin.

There followed was a brief period of improved relations between the PRC and USSR as Khrushchev pumped more assistance into china in the form of industrial enterprises and technological assistance.

Question 5

What was the start of the sino-soviet split

Answer 5

After Khrushchev delivered his secret speech in 1956

He savaged Stalin’s rule as despotic and criticised the systematic purges that had decimated the communist party.

Question 6

What were the reasons why Sino-Soviet relations were strained after 1958

Answer 6

Soviet rejection of Chinas peasant-based vision of communism

Mao’s believe that the USSR was attempting to impose unequal agreements in a similar way to the tsarists of old

Mao’s rejection of de-Salinisation and peaceful coexistence

Question 7

What was the issue with the secret speech

Answer 7

Khrushchev had issued his secret speech without consulting the Chinese and it was this, as much as the ideas expressed, that provoked such fierce Chinese criticism.

Khrushchev’s criticisms of Stalin, may equally applied to Mao, constituted a challenge to Mao’s rule and relations began to decline as a result

Relations rapidly declined between 1958-1969.

Question 8

What were the Russian demands in 1858

Answer 8

Whilst Mao wanted self reliance this could not be achieved in the short term, Given Chinas economic weakness he sought an ally with the Soviet Union.

In 1958 Khrushchev headed a delegation to China regarding a Defence collaboration.
1 Joint pacific fleet headed by soviet naval officers
2 Long wave radio station based in China to Control Russia’s pacific submarine fleet
3 Permission for soviet navy to carry out repairs in Chinese ports as well as granting leave for naval men

Mao interpretative this all as attacks on Chinese sovereignty

Question 9

What was Khrushchevs thought with ideological battle

Answer 9

During the Cold War it was a war of ideology with capitalism in the west and Communism in the east. Khrushchev assumed that Mao and the PRC would follow Khrushchev as the ideological lead however Mao Distrusted Russia’s intentions and saw this as an example of Great power Chauvinism

Question 10

What is Great Power Chavunism

Answer 10

This is where the ‘Great Powers’ e.g. USA, Russia Britain would exert their power on inferior nations as well as stopping them from having the same rights as them.

Question 11

What was a big problem between Mao and Khrushchev

Answer 11

During their alliance in 1950 Mao was promised Nuclear weapons. He felt that Khrushchev had been stalling in giving China the technicians and technology to develop its military strength and nuclear capability.

Maos interpretation of 1958 demands was that Khrushchev did not trust him with nuclear weapons, hence the joint approach under soviet direction.

Mao felt patronised , therefore he asserted Chinese sovereignty and questioned the assumption that China and the Soviet Union had identical goals.

Question 12

What were some of the actions which broke down Sino-Soviet relations

Answer 12

In 1958 Mao a chain smoker continually blew smoke in Khrushchev’s face.

Gave Khrushchev a room with no air conditioning during the very humid and mosquitos ridden Chinese summer.

Mao found it much easier to assert himself against Khrushchev than he did with Stalin and the demands of 1958 gave Mao the opportunity to demonstrate his disdain for Khrushchev.

Question 13

What 2 islands did Mao bomb during the Taiwan Crisis

Answer 13

Quemoy and Matsu

Question 14

What was the Taiwan Crisis

Answer 14

After Chaing Kai Shek and the GMD had fled to the Island of Taiwan in 1949 after the loss of the Civil war, Mao believed it was China’s density to take over Taiwan and reunite it with the mainland under communism

The USA supported Taiwan since 1949 and recognised it, not the PRC, as the government of China.

Mao Believed that the Islands of Quemoy and Matsu would be used as a spring board for invasion, in 1958 Mao ordered a bombardment of the 2 islands.

Question 15

How did Stalin describe Maoism

Answer 15

Cave man communism

Question 16

How did Mao view Khrushchevs ideology

Answer 16

Mao had little respect, viewing him as a bureaucrat and administrator who was derailing the achievements of Communism to date through ideological misinterpretations

Mao considered himself as the rightful leader of world Communism and intellectually superior Marxist to Khrushchev.

Khrushchev’ support for peaceful coexistence with capitalism differed from Mao’s view of worldwide revolution.

Mao accused Khrushchev of revisionism as evidenced why Khrushchev’s lukewarm support for Mao’s bombings of Quemoy and matsu.

Question 17

How did Khrushchev view Mao’s ideology

Answer 17

He felt Mao was irresponsible, hot-headed and unaware of the practical effects of the revolutionary ideas he advocated.

He bought Mao was naive in believing that the USSR and PRC’s combined populations outnumbering the USA, gave them the tools required to destroy capitalism.

He argued that the world has moved on from numbers as nuclear weapons could level entire cities in.

Question 18

What did Mao say that really put people on edge about nuclear war.

Answer 18

He said that nuclear war would annihilate capitalism, leaving the world communist.

Italian communist Party delegates asked how many Italians could expect to survive a Nuclear conflict, Mao’s response was ‘none’.

Question 19

What did Mao accuse Khrushchev of and why

Answer 19

He accused him of revisionism and focused on the Handaling of marshal Tito the president of Yugoslavia.

Diplomatic relations between the USSR and Yugoslavia were severed by staling due to co-operation with the west and its assertion of its independence from Moscow

Khrushchev reopened relations with Yugoslavia and attempted to woo it back to the communist camp, Khrushchev allowed other satellite nations to interpret Marxism in a different way, promising equal relationships.

Khrushchev wanted unity amongst the communist bloc but this was interpreted as weakness by Mao, favouring hardline communism. Sprinkle Khrushchev’s Peaceful coexistence this made Mao hate Khrushchev.

Question 20

What was peaceful co-existence

Answer 20

Where both communist and capitalist nations could co-operate together rather than go to war and prosper as well.

Question 21

Why did Mao dislike the Soviet Union

Answer 21

Mao believed himself Stalins Heir as the leader of world communism. Disapproved of the paternalistic support and assistance favouring a more revolutionary approach to economic development.

Question 22

What was the Little Red book

Answer 22

This was a compilation of Mao’s speeches on 33 topics, intended as a blueprint for how Chinese people should live.

Compulsory reading for members of the PLA, and was included in the curriculum of Chinese schools

Question 23

What was Mao’s problem with the 1st 5 year plan

Answer 23

He saw limitation like growth of only 3% in the agricultural sector, blaming China’s reliance on the techniques and thinking of the Soviet Union.

He beleived 5 year plans should be changed from the soviet model to better fit the needs of China. Mao supported ideas of the Soviet Union under Stalin which were later discredited, most notably communes

Khrushchev mocked Communes as old fashioned, unworkable and erroneous in practice. Mao’s support for communes and immediate world revolution were the basis of Khruschev’s accusation that Mao had a poor understanding of Marxism.

Question 24

What did Mao think of the 1st 5 year plan

Answer 24

Mao proposed a complete rejection of the Ideas behind the first 5 year plan namely a dedication to heavy industry and reliance on technical expertise in favour of unskilled labour.

In doing so he though that China would bypass the capitalist stage of development and move straight t communism.

To Achieve communism Mao sought to make China self-reliant, to rely on mass mobilisation and to adopt the slogan ‘better red than expert’.

Question 25

When did the Soviet Union withdraw economic support from China

Answer 25

1959

Question 26

What were the problems with the Great Leap Forward (2nd 5 year plan)

Answer 26

Any criticisms of the Plan was called soviet revisionism. Penguin Dehuai’s demise illustrates the point.

Veteran revolutionary, took a tour of PRC in 1959, Mao’s ‘walking on 2 legs’ failed. Senior CCP officials met at Lusahn to discuss the progress of the GLF. Penguin put his concerns to Mao, Mao reacted furiously, denouncing Peng and all his titles stripped.

Question 27

What did the economic insecurity cause in 1960

Answer 27

Khrushchev withdrew all economic assistance to China. Soviet experts hurriedly left China, taking blueprints with them, including those relating to the development of nuclear weapons (some of which were for nuclear weapons)

Factories initially established with soviet expertise closed and joint projects were discontinued as the problems with the GLF intensified.

Question 28

What made Mao feel threatened by the USSR

Answer 28

Ideological disputes intensified with the GLF, Mao saw the USSR’s criticisms of the economic ideas as an attempt to reassert its influence over the direction of the Chinese revolution.

The meeting between Peng Dehuai and Khrushchev made Mao suspect the USSR wanted to replace him

Mao accused Peng of collaborating with the USSR and from this point until his death, Mao associated domestic opposition with soviet revisionism

Question 29

What was the issue for Mao supporting the USSR

Answer 29

Mao was born in 1893. At a time of foreign exploitation and anti-foreign prejudices were rithie such as Japan.

The dichotomy was that he wanted Soviet economic and military assistance but did not want to bow w to soviet influence and demands

Question 30

what was the result of the Great leap forward in 1961 Xianjin provence

Answer 30

At the height of the famine in 1961 Non-ethnic Chinese in the Muslim-dominated region emigrated in droves across the border into the USSR,

1961-62 70,000 left China and the CCP stepped in to limit migration.

The CCP accused the soviet union of attempting to destabilise and even detach Xinjiang from PRC

Question 31

how did Mao try to assert China internationally

Answer 31

Due to Khrushchev’s firm stance against the Stalinist tendencies within the Albanian communist party. This allowed Mao to step in

Enver Hoxha, was the leader of the Albanian communist party, also grew further from the USSR after the secret speech.

Mao extended financial support to Albania after the USSR withdrew it. This gave the PRC a foothold in Estern Europe and a platform from which to heap criticisms on the USSR.

Question 32

what was the significance of the Sino-Albanian alliance

Answer 32

Mao succeeded in presenting a viable alternative to the soviet Union, Making it clear that not all communist powers advocated peaceful coexistence and destalinisation.

whilst the alliance was only significant in the short term, it served to ratchet up the sino-soviet split considerably hoping to exert a wider influence.

with more peasant based revolutions occurring in south America and Africa, China proved to be an alternative to the USSR.

Question 33

When was the Sino Indian war

Answer 33

1962

After Tibet suffered teh worst of the Famine resulting from the Great Leap Forward and unrest was suppressed in 1959.

India felt uneasy with the number of hostile (Chinese) troops on its eastern border.

Question 34

What 2 reasons did China expect full support from the Soviet Union

Answer 34

China was fighting to revise teh Chinese Indian borde set by the British, the foremost practitioner of impearl its exploitation to which communism was ideologically opposed.

China was a communist Ally India was not.

Question 35

What further soured relations between USSR and PRC sino Indian war

Answer 35

Khrushchev was supplying the Indian Military with MiG21 aircraft.

Question 36

What was the problem of the handing of the Cuban Missile crisis in Maos thought

Answer 36

After an unsuccessful bay of pigs invasion into Cuba, Khrushchev put Russian nuclear warheads on Cuba putting the Whole of the USA in danger.

Kennedy demanded that Russian warships heading to Cuba with nuclear warheads turn back. Khrushchev eventually relented and the ships turned back.

When those ships turned back Mao accused Khrushchev of being a coward

Question 37

What treaty was signed in 1963

Answer 37

1963 Nuclear test ban treaty USA, USSR and UK banned over ground tests and to slow down the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Question 38

How did the nuclear test ban treaty affect Mao

Answer 38

This treaty prevented nations who don’t have nuclear weapons from squirming them.

This led to Mao accusing the USSR of protecting its own nuclear deterrent while preventing China from developing the same capacity.

However in 1964 the PRC was able to ‘salvage shredded documents’ by soviet experts who left in the GLF to create Chinas first atomic bomb.

Question 39

Who became the new Soviet Premier in 1964

Answer 39

Khrushchev was replaced by Brezhnev

He shared hte disapproval of Mao’s tactics

Question 40

What was the Malinowski Affair

Answer 40

1964 The USSR secretary of defence drunkenly remarked to a Chinese military delegate teh a the PRC should follow teh USSR’s lead.

He said ‘we have removed our fool, you should follow by desposing of yours’

From this point on until his death in 1976 had him on edge of a anti-Mao Coup

Question 41

What was the Cultural revolution

Answer 41

The GLF was an economic expression of Mao’s philosophy; the cultural Revolution was its political demonstration, aiming to purge all undesirable’s of society.

1966-70

Through the Cultural revolution he hoped to detour the four olds: Culture, Habits, Customs and Ideas, also wanted the purge the ideas of revisionism which he directly related to the USSR

Question 42

What was the main element of the Cultural revolution

Answer 42

Based in Mao’s ideology the cultural Revolution was the perfect example of continuing/permanent revolution.

Mao believed teh USSR was plotting a pre-emotive attack on China after criticism of the cultural revolution. the red Guards renamend the Roland on which Soviet embassy was located in bejing ‘struggle against revisionism street’ and the Chinese soviet friendships hospital was renamed ‘anti revisionist hospital in 1967.

Question 43

What was the Brezhnev Docrine

Answer 43

1968 new soviet foreign policy stated that the USSR would forcefully intervene in the domestic affairs of any East European communist nations should it be deemed that threats to socialism were large.

Used to suppress the Prague Spring a Czechoslovakian uprising ion for liberal reforms to the soviet model.

Basically solidifying communism in Eastern Europe.

Mao Opposed this as : he did not wan the USSR to set a precedent for intervening in the domestic affairs of other communist countries,

Question 44

What were teh military confrontations between the USSR and PRC

Answer 44

By 1961 the USSR had 12 divisions and 200 are op lanes manning the border

1968 this had increased to 25 divisions and 1,200 aero planes and 120 medium range mussels

From 1964-69 there were reported 4,189 incidents along the sino soviet border.

Question 45

What was a result of the fighting in march 1969

Answer 45

A Chinese ambush led to the death of 60 Russians, Mao wanted to teach the Soviet Union a bitter lesson however knew they could not match militarily.

Senior advisers urged nuclear attacks on China specifically industiral centres and their nuclear test sites, Brezhnev orders a large scale missile attack which killed 800 Chinese

Mao feared the USSR would use the Brezhnev doctrine to invade.

Question 46

What was the Kosygin-Enlai meeting

Answer 46

Meeting between USSR Prime minister Kosygin and Chinese premiere Zhou Enlai, an agreement was made to not start a nuclear war, here would be withdrawal of troops in uncontested areas however contested areas they would remain.

But in 1970 ambassadors were reinstated, sino-soviet trade expanded and transport links between the 2 nations were restored.