Date
8-9-2024
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Arts in History - Thesis (MA)
Chair
Samuel C. Smith
Keywords
Sino-Soviet relations, Sino-Soviet split, Mao, Stalin, Khrushchev
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | History
Recommended Citation
Wang, Enfeng, "“The Soviet Union is Different from Us”: The Sino-Soviet Relationship and Split from the Chinese Perspective" (2024). Masters Theses. 1194.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1194
Abstract
The thesis demonstrates and explains the complex relationship between the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from the late 1940s to 1969. The period of the Sino-Soviet relationship was marked by initial military and economic cooperation followed by increasing ideological divergence and political and diplomatic tensions. The paper briefly introduces the historiography of the Sino-Soviet relationship. The thesis starts with the establishment of the PRC in 1949 and the subsequent alliance with the USSR, rooted in shared communist ideologies and mutual strategic goals. The paper shows the gradual deterioration of the Sino-Soviet relationship after the death of Joseph Stalin, followed by the regime of Khrushchev. It provides a comprehensive view of the Sino-Soviet relationship due to the multiple perspectives of the sources. The thesis addresses key historical events, such as the Korean War, Khrushchev's de-Stalinization policies, the Sino-Indian War, and the Sino-Soviet confrontation over Zhenbao Island. It also assesses the Sino-Soviet relationship on global communist movements and connects the Sino-Soviet relationship with the current Sino-Russian relationship in the Weltpolitik.
