The USSR and China

[Daoloth]

I’m too young for the Cold War- but why did they seem to hate each other? They each shared a similar ideology- why the conflicting relations? Much thanks.

[Ringo]

Go read this page, which is a review of a book titled Brothers in Arms: The Rise and Fall of the Sino-Soviet Alliance, 1945-1963.

In the beginning:

The early years of the CCP-Soviet relationship were characterized by Soviet disinterest and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mistrust. Stalin’s fear of direct confrontation with the United States prevented him from offering any real assistance to the beleaguered CCP, and in fact he consistently proved willing to sacrifice CCP interests in order to preserve prior arrangements with the Chinese Nationalists (GMD).

The Korean conflict:

Weathersby demonstrates that Mao had had enough by late 1952, as the increased tempo of American bombing inflicted tremendous casualties. Stalin, it seems, had the most to gain by prolonging the conflict; in addition to deepening Chinese dependence on Moscow, the war tied down American forces in Asia, provided an opportunity to acquire the latest American military technology, and made the Truman administration unpopular at home.

The break:

According to Westad, both Moscow and Beijing shared the view that Washington’s international position was on the decline by 1959; however, this common view inspired two separate courses of action. To Khrushchev, the moment was right for efforts toward peaceful coexistence, but to Mao, the momentum of the “high tide of socialism” could be used to directly confront American imperialism. The impasse over the proper response to the American threat dissolved the glue that held the alliance together.

That’ll get you started.

[jimmmy]

Here is a good site too. One point not already made: Stalin’s military support of Chaing Kai Shek to the detriment of Mao (Uncle Joe saw the the Kuomintang as stronger vs. the Japanese) until surprisingly late in the war in China. But I’d say the top two reasons were:

1. The Korean War.

2. An almost Christian-like ability to schism and argue bitterly, seriously and to the point of real damage to the larger cause about things like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. In this case, what the dialectic called for : China said big continuous confrontation, the UUSR said co-existence (over simplified)

Nixon's China Game | American Experience | PBS

[Captain_Amazing]

Another problem was that the Chinese insisted that their Communist Party was as good and important as the Soviet one. The Soviets, who saw themselves as the first socialist state, insisted on their own preeminence as the voice of Communism in the world.

[kniz]

They share a common border, which often is the cause of problems between countries.

[China_Guy]

The split started from the very beginning. the soviets were loosely allied with Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalists. Also, the soviet revolution followed marxist lines and was among the prolitariat in the cities and factories.

Chinese communists tried to follow this marxist model and were virtually wiped out. Zhou Enlai was one of the few leaders in the city that wasn’t killed. Mao then formented the communist revolution in the countryside.

Ideologically, the Soviets and Chinese butted heads virtually from day 1.

Another watershed was that at the end of WW2, the soviets went into what was Manchuria (which the Japanese had occupied since the 1930’s). When they pulled out and turned the area over to the Chinese, the Chinese found that just about everything of value had been looted. Entire factories had been dismantled and taken back to the soviet union.

Finally, as alluded to earlier, the Soviets wanted to be the “Big Brother” in the relationship, and the Chinese were not going to be second to anyone.

[China_Guy]

I’m rereading the Private Life of Chairman Mao, and you can argue the veracity of the book, but it does claim that Mao and Stalin never got along personally.

Mao wrote two pieces “On Practice” and “On Contradiction” during his Yenan years (circa 1937ish). Mao believed they were a major contribution to the philosophical development of Marxims-Leninism or an example of the “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” This philosophy never went over with the soviets. The soviets never recognized Marxist-Leninist-Mao Zedong thought. Of course, virtually no one in China recognizes Marxist-Leninist-Mao Zedong thought either these days.