Sino-soviet Split Flashcards
(15 cards)
Flashcard 1
Q: What were the key ideological causes of the Sino-Soviet Split?
A: Mao believed Khrushchev had betrayed revolutionary Marxism by promoting peaceful coexistence with the West. He viewed Soviet de-Stalinization and détente as revisionist and too soft, while the USSR saw Mao as dangerously radical and unpredictable.
2
Q: How did de-Stalinization contribute to the split?
A: Khrushchev’s 1956 speech denouncing Stalin offen
personal attack on his own leadership style and revolutionary credentials.
Flashcard 3
Q: How did nuclear policy deepen tensions between China and the USSR?
A: Mao wanted access to Soviet nuclear technology, but Khrushchev refused to share it. This fueled mistrust and made China feel treated as a junior partner.
Flashcard 4
Q: What event symbolized the breakdown of Sino-Soviet relations in the early 1960s?
A: China walked out of the 1961 Moscow Conference after the USSR denounced Albania’s Stalinism—something Mao took as an indirect attack on himself.
Flashcard 5
Q: What were the 1969 border clashes and why were they important?
A: Armed conflict broke out along the Ussuri River, heightening the threat of war between China and the USSR. This was a turning point that pushed China to consider rapprochement with the U.S.
Flashcard 6
Q: What is Triangular Diplomacy and how did China benefit from it?
A: Triangular Diplomacy refers to the U.S. using its relationship with China to pressure the USSR. China gained strategic leverage, international recognition, and reduced Soviet threat.
Flashcard 7
Q: What role did Nixon play in China’s shift toward the USA?
A: Nixon visited China in 1972, ending 25 years of no diplomatic contact. This visit symbolized China’s formal entry into global diplomacy and weakened Soviet influence.
Flashcard 8
Q: What was the “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” and why was it significant?
A: In 1971, a U.S. table tennis team visited China, breaking the ice for diplomatic relations. It paved the way for Nixon’s 1972 visit and symbolized thawing U.S.-China ties.
Flashcard 9
Q: Why did China seek a rapprochement with the USA?
A: To counter the Soviet threat after the Sino-Soviet Split, gain international legitimacy, and improve its strategic position without appearing dependent on either superpower.
Flashcard 10
Q: How did the Sino-Soviet Split affect global Cold War dynamics?
A: It shattered the image of a unified communist bloc, forced the USSR to deal with two fronts, and allowed the U.S. to gain leverage by playing China and the USSR against each other.
Q: How did China’s support for revolutionary movements differ from the Soviet Union’s in the 1960s?
A: China actively encouraged revolutionary struggles in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, promoting Maoism as a more authentic and militant form of communism, whereas the USSR increasingly sought stability and peaceful coexistence.
Q: What role did the Vietnam War play in the Sino-Soviet split?
A: China and the USSR competed for influence over North Vietnam. China resented Soviet military aid transiting through its territory and feared Vietnam’s dependence on Moscow.
Q: How did the Cultural Revolution impact Sino-Soviet relations?
A: Mao’s Cultural Revolution intensified anti-Soviet rhetoric. Soviet leaders were labeled “revisionists,” and diplomatic ties further deteriorated as China became increasingly radical and suspicious.
14
Q: What was the significance of China joining the United Nations in 1971?
A: It marked China’s growing global acceptance and was a diplomatic defeat for the USSR, which had supported continued recognition of Taiwan. It showed that rapprochement with the West was yielding concrete results.
Q: How did the Sino-Soviet Split influence American Cold War strategy?
A: It allowed the U.S. to abandon the idea of a united communist front and exploit divisions through Nixon’s policy of détente and triangular diplomacy, improving America’s strategic position.
