The Cold War in global context, 1945-1991 - Expanding the circle of conflict - Sino-Soviet split

7 important questions on The Cold War in global context, 1945-1991 - Expanding the circle of conflict - Sino-Soviet split

What was the larger tragedy of Vietnam from an American perspective?

The larger tragedy of Vietnam from the American perspective was not the fall of the South, but the inability of America policy makers to take timely diplomatic advantage of a serious ideological and diplomatic split between communist China and the USSR during the 1960s.

Why did Beijing turn to Moscow?

Beijing had turned to Moscow because of the perceived threat from the US: America's postwar rebuilding of Japan, military and diplomatic support for Taiwan, intervention in Korea, and its growing involvement in French Indochina all suggested to Mao that his communist state was under siege.

How did Mao view the Soviet summit meetings?

  • Mao, who remained firmly committed to the Marxist-Leninist position that conflict with the capitalist West was inevitable, view these Soviet summit meetings with the Americans as betrayal.
  • He felt that an understanding between the US and the USSR would leave China susceptible to further challenges to its sovereignty by the American imperialists.
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How did China view USSR's decision-making regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The Chinese openly criticized Khrushchev's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, alleging that Moscow had abandoned a fellow communist state.

What did China fear regarding nuclear weapons?

When China proudly tested its first atomic bomb in 1964 (without Soviet assistance), the Beijing leadership projected itself as an alternative forerunner in world communism. In 1969, in the midst of the Cultural Revolution, some Chinese leaders feared that the Soviets were planning a preemptive strike against China's nuclear facilities.

What opportunity did the American presence in Vietnam provide?

The American presence in Vietnam provided the lone opportunity for China and the USSR to cooperate in what was an otherwise stormy relationship.

What breakthrough was made because of Nixon?

  • Nixon's breakthrough visit to Beijing in February 1972 - the first time that an American president had set foot on Chinese soil - afforded the Americans an unprecedented opportunity to put an end to the costly Cold War in Asia.

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