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US-China relations are endlessly compared to a new "Cold War"—but I think we need more creative analogies. One analogy that I& #39;ve been considering recently is less well known to Americans but is full of interesting parallels & differences:
The Sino-Soviet split.
[THREAD]
![US-China relations are endlessly compared to a new "Cold War"—but I think we need more creative analogies. One analogy that I& #39;ve been considering recently is less well known to Americans but is full of interesting parallels & differences: The Sino-Soviet split. [THREAD]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ec5OV_sXkAM4I3T.jpg "US-China relations are endlessly compared to a new \"Cold War\"—but I think we need more creative analogies. One analogy that I& #39;ve been considering recently is less well known to Americans but is full of interesting parallels & differences: The Sino-Soviet split. [THREAD]")
![US-China relations are endlessly compared to a new "Cold War"—but I think we need more creative analogies. One analogy that I& #39;ve been considering recently is less well known to Americans but is full of interesting parallels & differences: The Sino-Soviet split. [THREAD]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ec5OX0LXgAAIJnd.jpg "US-China relations are endlessly compared to a new \"Cold War\"—but I think we need more creative analogies. One analogy that I& #39;ve been considering recently is less well known to Americans but is full of interesting parallels & differences: The Sino-Soviet split. [THREAD]")
The Sino-Soviet split.
[THREAD]
Reading Li Danhui & Yafeng Xia& #39;s excellent new book ( https://www.amazon.com/Mao-Sino-Soviet-Split-1959-1973-History/dp/149851166X),">https://www.amazon.com/Mao-Sino-... I began to consider parallels between these cases of deeply intertwined societies “splitting."
The Sino-Soviet split was a fitful process of tension, disentanglement, & recrimination. Sound familiar?
The Sino-Soviet split was a fitful process of tension, disentanglement, & recrimination. Sound familiar?
From the sharing & stealing of technology to the flows of students & scholars, China has benefited from its relationship with the U.S. as it benefited from massive Soviet technological & material support.
What we& #39;d today call "hard decoupling" happened then, but it was painful.
What we& #39;d today call "hard decoupling" happened then, but it was painful.
On the human toll of the split, I found Elizabeth McGuire& #39;s recent book to be quite moving: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Heart-Chinese-Communists-Revolution/dp/0190640553
I">https://www.amazon.com/Red-Heart... think back to it when I read @yangyang_cheng& #39;s essential essays on being a scientist between the two worlds, or this @ChinaFile essay: https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/me-breakdown-us-china-relations-personal">https://www.chinafile.com/reporting...
I">https://www.amazon.com/Red-Heart... think back to it when I read @yangyang_cheng& #39;s essential essays on being a scientist between the two worlds, or this @ChinaFile essay: https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/me-breakdown-us-china-relations-personal">https://www.chinafile.com/reporting...
But back to geopolitics: In the Chinese view, both superpowers sought at different times to shape & even control China’s future in ways that the CCP eventually deemed unacceptable.
The USSR was sensitive & resistant to Mao& #39;s bids for leadership of the world communist movement.
The USSR was sensitive & resistant to Mao& #39;s bids for leadership of the world communist movement.
But many feel that shifts in China& #39;s *domestic* politics were the decisive drivers—whether Mao& #39;s leftward turn or Xi& #39;s more assertive & authoritarian turn.
(These shifts aren& #39;t the same, of course, but they underscore how much CCP "domestic politics" shape "external" behavior.)
(These shifts aren& #39;t the same, of course, but they underscore how much CCP "domestic politics" shape "external" behavior.)
Of course, the differences between these cases are numerous & obvious. The CCP & CPSU’s foundational linkage was based upon shared communist ideals, & the two countries are geographical neighbors, among other factors altogether different from the U.S.-China relationship...
The comparison is partial at best. But when so many are weary of the "new Cold War" meme, I hope this stirs some discussion.
We still debate when the Sino-Soviet split started—& we& #39;ll be debating the same about the Sino-American split for years to come. https://twitter.com/zeithistoriker/status/1282904955918024704">https://twitter.com/zeithisto...
We still debate when the Sino-Soviet split started—& we& #39;ll be debating the same about the Sino-American split for years to come. https://twitter.com/zeithistoriker/status/1282904955918024704">https://twitter.com/zeithisto...
