Sino Soviet Relations

Question	Answer
China and Russia - 19th Century Relations	- Quite bad/hostile - Russia expanded = took parts of Asia that had belonged to China - The era of "unequal treaties" - forced open China's pacific ports to Russian trade (dominance over China) - Stalin helped (covert/marginal help) nationalists during Chinese civil war (1927-50), AGAINST communists - Stalin didn't want China to be communist - too near, may be better communists, may be rivals, big country - Russia's biggest enemy = China not USA
Geopolitics	- A collision between geography and politics - How geography effects two countries' political relations - Russia + China have 2738 miles of shared border - too close to get along
Mao's visit to Moscow (1950)	- Sino Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance (1950) - Khrushchev on the Sino-Soviet Treaty - "it was an insult to the Chinese people. For centuries the French, Americans and English had been exploiting China and now the USSR was moving in." - Russia knew they were treating China badly. - It made no different now that both sides were communist. - Loads of aid + equipment was sent to China (all had to be repaid) - Sent thousands of Soviet aid to China. - China had to formerly knowledge that Russia was the leading communist power. - Financial aid = enormous for China (Mao exacerbates famine + sends grain to Russia to pay off treaty) - When Mao visited Russia he wasn't treated how he'd expected (Russians put on banquets for Chinese but they had to pay etc)
Reasons Mao + Stalin worked together	- Mao respected Stalin (individuals) - Mao had no alternative to Russia as an ally - They had common enemies
Korean War (1950 - 1952)	- Mao's chance to test the content of the treaty + put himself forward as a regional liberator in the name of communism - Mao believed only way to unite Korea = military action (wasn't in favour of N.Korea doing this in 1950 - feared it would end in more US presence in Far East = jeopardising plans for Taiwan invasion) - For Mao the Korean War = opportunity to show commitment of China to the revolutionary cause - hesitant in deciding how much military support to send (sent military advisors but not troops) - Stalin pushed for Chinese military intervention in preference to direct Soviet involvement (even suggested communist version of domino theory to convince Mao) - Stalin convinced Mao to send troops. The result = 900,000 Chinese casualties - Matters of strategy = left to Mao but Stalin reserved the right to intervene where he felt necessary - Stalin consulted major decisions (e.g crossing 38th parallel) but it was clear to Mao that Stalin's actions = driven by self interest, not proletarian internationalism - Despite obvious inequality, Sino Soviet relations = cemented by Korean War
Taiwan Crisis (1954)	- One of the most dangerous points of tension in the Cold War - After the communists seized China's mainland, the nationalists (Guomindang) fled to Taiwan + surrounding islands (Quemoy + Matsu) - For Mao the liberation of China under communism wasn't complete w.out these islands - Sept 1954 Mao shelled Quemoy - wanted to highlight the issue of Taiwan, register China's displeasure at SEATO + help galvanise the Chinese pop.n in the cause of socialist reconstruction. - He hoped tension would cement alliance with the USSR. - The Guomindang didn't back down (defiance = helped by US support + military backing) - Crisis had the potential to turn into a USA-Chinese war with possible nuclear weapons - 1955, the CCP took more moderate line w. negotiations
Taiwan Crisis (1958)	- Tension sprung again in 1958 - Mao said he would take a leading role in military decision making. This was the prelude to a new wave of shelling in Quemoy BECAUSE… 1. there was frustration at Taiwan's lack of concessions after 1954 2. Mao wanted to test US commitment to Taiwan 3. Part of Mao's attempt to stir up "revolutionary enthusiasm" in the Chinese masses by highlighting struggle against capitalism 4. Chance to tie USSR to defence of China by highlighting threat of USA - Though divisions had opened between China + USSR after 1954 - these events partly closed the split (USSR = against China's tactics but felt the forces of communism had to stat together against USA)
What caused downwards spiral in relations? PERSONALITY CLASHES	- arguments over best way to pursue communism - Mao saw himself as junior to Stalin. When Khrushchev came in Mao thought he was superior - Khrushchev + Mao = clash of personality. Mao was against 'destalinisation' - Mao, "you are a paper tiger" (talking to Khrushchev), 'you'e weak, moving away from pure communist beliefs
What caused downwards spiral in relations? IDEOLOGICAL INTERESTS	- 1956 Khrushchev's secret speech (20th Party Congress) - Mao took this personally - What they both thought of communism = v. different - Cuban Missile Crisis - Mao sees it as prime opportunity to start a war. Khrushchev backs down + Mao sees it as weakness. - CMC detracts from Sino-India war over border disputes (Mao expects help + doesn't get it - starts to question Sino-Soviet pact) - Khrushchev's reconciliation w. Tito (Mao sees it as ideological revisionism) - Mao saw 'peaceful coexistence' as weakness against capitalism - "ideology becomes a crutch for his world view" because he's poorly educated (Lorenz Luthi talking about Mao)
What caused downwards spiral in relations? NATIONAL INTERESTS	- arguments over USSR's refusal to reduce ties w. Mongolia, which China considered to be in its own sphere of influence. - USSR, blocking China's request to expand control over N.Korea - Border disputes had a long history - Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) when they tried to leave Warsaw Pact. China worried Russia could invade them
Gaddis	- Khrushchev visits China = "Mao accused him of having lost his revolutionary edge" - Swimming pool meeting, Mao = "all you have to do is provoke the Americans into military actions, and I'll give you as many divisions as you need to crush them." (Khrushchev tries to explain "that 1 or 2 missiles could turn all the divisions in China to dust")
Active Defence - Chinese Policy	- Aim = not allow the Soviets any ability to be aggressive to them (China WAS aggressive to USSR) - 1966, China attacked Russian border over Ussuri River (example of active defence policy), could have escalated into full blown war, Nixon starts to question US policy, thought Soviet would win + dominate Asia.
How did China + America manage to achieve rapprochement in 1972?	- Ping Pong Diplomacy (1971), the 1st thing they did was to send the US ping pong team to China ("Nixon realised the matches were a diplomatic breakthrough.") - Nixon visits Beijing in 1975 -"taking the long view we simply cannot afford to leave China forever outside the family of nations." - "let the little ball move the big ball" (Zhou Enlai)
Why did the US move closer to China?	- didn't want to lose China to Russia. - containment of communism. - improve relations with Asia. - Nixon 'artichoke' approach. US released trade embargo on Chinese goods. - Vietnam war, showed limits to their military power. - create a 'pressure point' on USSR. - Kissinger. - allowed the US to focus entire nuclear arsenal on the Soviet Union.
Why did China move closer to the US?	- one of the largest super powers. - improve relations with the west. - trade (petrol), began to be taken seriously globally + economically. - lost ally in Russia, more threatened by them now. Looking for another ally to 'protect' them. - tensions with Russia over shared border (Mao = worried about pre-emptive nuclear attack. - hostile relations with India. - China was surrounded by "unfriendly states."
Brezhnev (1964 - 1982)	- made no attempt to improve relations with China - key policy: antagonise China in as low key a way as possible (isolate it geopolitically as much as he can - Russia goes out of its way to befriend N.Korea + N.Vietnam in order to demote/exclude China) - 1968 Prague Spring, new gov.t of Czechoslovakia (led by Dubcek) tried to democratise nation. Ended w. Soviet invasion, removal of Dubcek + an end to reform - Mao thought Brezhnev would do the same to suppress China, thinks Russia sees China as a satellite state (Russia doesn't think this but it's a real fear for China) - Brezhnev Doctrine = in response to Prague Spring to justify Russian military action - China's response to Russia under Brezhnev? Do what Russia did to them - Mao goes out of his way to befriend Albania and Romania and convince them to gain more independence from Warsaw Pact
What did closer relations achieve for China?	- publicity - trade + travel restrictions released - Nixon's 1972 visit = diplomatic success - strengthened ties in Europe (Yugoslavia and Romania) - US gave diplomatic recognition to the communist regime (1978)
What did closer relations achieve for America?	- Nixon's 1972 visit = diplomatic success - toned down foreign policy in the Far East - chance to embarrass + undermine the USSR (isolate them) - valuable way of exerting pressure on USSR to extract concessions - lots of trade deals, opened up markets in the Far East
Shanghai Communique (1972)	An agreement between USA and China. Pledged it was in the interests of all nations for the US and China to work towards the normalisation of their relations. Both countries agreed neither power or any other should "seek hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region."
Two Chinas Policy	Red China (communist, mainland) and Nationalists (offshore islands) - the USA recognised both as legitimate states.
What are going to be the implications of improved Sino-American relations?	- forced the USSR to rethink its foreign policy: USSR would move towards policy of detente w. America - the world = no long bipolar, but multipolar - the USSR had to engage in TRIANGULAR DIPLOMACY with America and China - helped destroy the moral foundations of communism (some historians argued this) - Brezhnev was apoplectic (angry) about China's and America's new relationship

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	Created by Charlotte Holland over 10 years ago