Chinese relations with the Soviet Union and the USA (1949 to 1973) (3) Flashcards
How did Stalin react to the establishment of the PRC?
When the People’s Republic of China was established in October 1949, Stalin welcomed it as a victory for world communism.
What was the treaty of friendship?
Mao visited Moscow and in 1950 the two countries signed a Treaty of Friendship. In terms of this treaty, the Soviet Union gave China a significant amount of aid, in the form of advisors, technicians, and industrial and military equipment.
How were relations between China and the USSR strengthened?
Relations between the two countries were strengthened by their support for North Korea in the Korean War Both countries felt threatened by their common enemy, the USA, which was building up anti-communist alliances in Asia.
However, there were fundamental differences in the form that the communist revolution had taken in China and the USSR, what were they? (3)
- Karl Marx (the ‘father’ of communism) believed that a successful revolution could only come about through the revolutionary actions of the proletariat ( the urban industrial working class). This is what had happened in Russia. However, the Chinese Communist Party had built up its support among the rural peasants, by putting its policies into practice in the areas it controlled during the long civil war. In this process, Mao developed his own ideas about Marx’s theories. He believed that change should be focused on the countryside and should meet the needs of the peasants rather than the urban population.
- In Mao’s view, the revolution had not ended when the CCP came to power in 1949. There was a continuous process of transformation until the goal of Marxism - a classless society - was achieved; whereas the Soviets believed that continued revolutionary action would destroy the country, and that this transformation would happen gradually over time.
- When Khrushchev replaced Stalin as leader of the USSR in 1956, he denounced the radical features of Stalinism and proposed a policy of ‘peaceful co-existence’ with the West. By this he meant accepting different ‘spheres of influence’ with the West and not pushing for world revolution; in other words, accepting that two different systems could live together at the same time. After this, China accused the USSR of revisionism ‘; that is, of revising (changing) the ideas of Marx and Lenin, who had taught that revolutionary activity must continue until the whole world had won for communism.
What effect did the USSR’s and China’s view on communism have?
These differences in interpretation of Marx’s ideas were one of the causes of a breakdown in their alliance.
Name 5 other reasons why the Sino-Soviet relationship deteriorated?
- There were disputes over territory along the long border between China and the USSR.
- China felt that it did not receive enough aid from the USSR, especially since non-communist countries (such as India and Egypt) received more Soviet aid than China did.
- The USSR was critical of Mao’s Great Leap Forward, believing that parts of it were unrealistic.
- China was angry when the USSR refused to supply it with nuclear weapons.
- Both sides started openly competing for influence among the newly independent nations in Asia and Africa.
Why was the 1960’s a horrible period in regards to the Sino-Soviet relationship?
In 1960, the USSR suddenly withdrew its advisors from China and canceled all aid. The 1960s were a period of armed border clashes, rivalry and bitterness between the two former allies.
Give two examples of how we could see the deterioration of the Sino-Soviet relationship?
- China was openly critical of Khrushchev’s handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
- In a war between India and Pakistan in 1965, the Chinese backed Pakistan while the USSR backed India.
Relations between China and the Soviet Union remained cool, and sometimes even ____, until the 1990s. This break in their relationship is called the Sino-Soviet ___. (‘Sino’ means Chinese.)
Hostile
Split
How did the West feel when the CCP came into power in 1949?
When the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949, the West was worried and openly hostile to the new government as they had supported the Chinese Nationalists in the civil war.
Who did the USA recognise as the official government of China?
The USA and other Western governments continued to recognize the Nationalist government in Taiwan as the representative of the people of China. For over 20 years, the United States blocked Communist China’s entry into the United Nations.
When did tensions between China and USA further increase?
Tensions between the USA and China became much worse during the Korean War (1950-53)
How did the Korean War bring Chinese and American forces in direct conflict?
At the end of the Second World War, Korea had been divided into communist North Korea and non-communist South Korea. When North Korean troops invaded South Korea in 1950, just one year after the communist victory in China, the US was convinced that this was yet another attempt by the USSR and its allies to spread communism, The US and other Western nations sent troops as part of a United Nations force to help South Korea by driving the North Korean forces out of South Korea. When the American-led forces invaded North Korea, China sent troops to help the North Koreans. This brought Chinese and American forces into direct conflict.
The Korean War dragged on until ___ before peace was restored and the country once again divided into North and South. Over ____ million people, mainly Korean civilians, died in the war.
1953
Three
What American policy change did the Korean War bring about?
As a result, the US extended its policy of containment, by offering economic aid and military protection to other countries in Asia.
Why did the Communists in China gain so much support back home?
The communists in China gained support at home as they were seen standing up to and beating back imperialists. After this, China portrayed the US as its main enemy and all remaining Westerners were expelled from China.
What led to the expansion of the Cold War?
So the communist revolution in China - and the response of the USA to this revolution - led to the expansion of the Cold War.
During the Vietnam War, China supported the ___ Vietnamese in their war against America. The United States and its allies saw ___, their enemy during the Second World War, as their main anti-communist ally in East Asia.
North
Japan
