Vietnam War notes.

The World at the start of the 60’s.

Sino-soviet relations and eventual split:

China and US enemies.

China and Soviet friends?

Signs of friendship:

q China had no other friend, and neither did USSR.

q USSR supported China and Mao financially in the very beginning of the 50’s.

q Military Pact of 1950 and 1957

q USSR helped China to develop nuclear power and later nuclear arms.

q China took a big blow in the Korean War.

Signs of enmity:

q Ideological clash. Stalin was afraid of a new Tito. Mao was afraid of Stalin taking control over his revolution.

o Mao had not got any support in the revolution years from USSR, Stalin had negotiated and helped Chiang Kai-Sheck against the Japanese.

q Both Stalin and Mao had territorial claims on Manchuria.

We will study this more when we get to Mao, but the time of the Vietnam War China and USSR were enemies:

1955 China made sure that USSR weren’t invited too the Bandung Conference. Third World. China wanted to be the major player.

1956 Khrushchev’s secret speech condemning the personal cult around Stalin, Mao wasn’t happy, same personal cult. Not consulting Mao.

Khrushchev and peaceful coexistence with US upset China.

1958 Great Leap Forward by Mao was directly aimed at USSR.

1959 USSR took out military advisers from China and stopped delivery of nuclear arms to China.

When China in sept 1959 attacks Indian military USSR claims that both India and China are friends of the USSR. China takes this as the intended insult it is.

IN 1960 China condemns Tito, Khrushchev had welcomed him in the middle of the 50’s.

In November 1960 Mao calls Khrushchev revisionist at a communist meeting (81 delegates from all the world), Khrushchev replies that Mao is a leftist adventurer.

In oct. nov. 1962 China launches a new attack on India, this time USSR sides with India.

When Khrushchev backs down in Cuba at the same time, Mao sees USSR as their enemy.

In 1963 the official Chinese newspaper People’s Daily published a list of international treaties that the former Chinese government had agreed to that had to be renegotiated, including treaties with USSR.

In July 1964 told leaders from Japan that USSR were wrongfully occupying the Kuril Islands, and that East Prussia belonged to Germany.

The friendship had been based on enmity towards USA, but proved to be impossible to maintain due to ideological differences.

By the mid 60’s both countries reinforced troops along the borders and actual disputes between took place.

1964 China launched their own nuclear bomb.

The Decolonization:

Show map and table from Bell pp 232 233.

Both Khrushchev and Mao saw themselves as saviors off the Third World. In almost all off these countries there was a playground for communist guerrillas supported by USSR or China.

This meant problems for the US:
could not let the Third World fall to the communists.

Could not go against the independence movement. Remember the issues between GB and US at the start of the Cold War.

Consequences:

US foreign policy: Domino Theory.

So when the situation deteriorated in South east Asia in Vietnam, actions were needed.