How far was the Sino-Soviet split of the late 1960s the result of ideological differences between the two Communist powers?

by ivandb_95hotmailcom (student)

How far was the Sino-Soviet split of the late 1960’s the result of ideological differences between the two Communist powers?

Throughout the 1960’s the fracture between the Soviets and Chinese was evident. The newly founded alignment between the two powers was deteriorating so drastically that disputes were resulting in armed conflicts. Their differing viewpoints on what communism should be may have been an important factor on the split occurring. Nonetheless, there were many other factors such as the personalities of the leaders, the national interests that tied in to the geopolitics between the two superpowers.

Ideological difference were key to the Sino-Soviet split. Mao was heavily critical of the Khrushchev’s plan of peaceful-coexistence with the USA and saw it as turning it’s back on communist ideals. America was their “natural enemy” due to its capitalistic ideology. This would have caused conflict between the two as they were going against what they sought out to believe in. Mao at this point in time did not see himself working with the "oppressors”. This was the basis of the split and later on Khrushchev criticised Mao’s policy of the Great Leap Forward as breaking from traditional communism. He viewed the policy as Stalinist, he had denounced Stalin in 1956, and criticised them heavily. This didn’t improve the fact that Mao had been told by the USSR that they would receive limited military and economic aid, thus proving that the Soviets wanted to remain in control and limit their ability to prosper. The ideological differences between the two would cause many problems in which they were all influenced by other factors, however, their differing views were key to the split as without their differing views of communism there would be no dispute on how either of them ran their communist states. A split was inevitable.

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There were many factors to the split, personality being one. As Mao had based his view of communism around Stalin’s policies and regarded him as a role model, he saw himself as the heir to lead the communist revolution. When Khrushchev claimed the title he thought this was incorrect as he was Khrushchev’s “superior”. This would have been important, as Mao may not have been able to take Khrushchev seriously if he deemed him as inferior and not worthy of the position. Relations were strained even more when Khrushchev preformed the secret speech and put forward destalinization. This would have been a big blow to the relations as yet again this was Mao’s idol and was an indirect criticism of how Mao ran his government. There was always indifference between the two, which would in turn lead them not to settle disputes but to bicker with one another. This factor was important as it influenced the outcome of their decisions when it involved one another.

All the factors are intrinsically linked; ideological differences to personality and their personalities influencing the national interests. This last factor would trigger the decimation of Sino-Soviet relations. China sided with the USA after it saw that the Americans could provide assistance economically and strengthen their world status. However in the pursuit of bettering themselves, the Chinese cemented the split as Khrushchev claimed they had ruined the ties within communism. The final factor, which is dominant in the Sino-Soviet split, is the Ussuri River dispute of 1969. Both claimed rights over this region however it was the USSR who had military bases in this area. This led to a few skirmishes. China wanted to assert its influence and prove itself as a world power. Naturally the USSR wanted to stop this, as it would have been directly threatened. They had come into direct action and could not turn back now.

In conclusion, all factors are important to understand why the Sino-Soviet split occurred. Ideological differences were the primary cause for disagreement between the two superpowers as they criticised each other on both domestic and foreign policy. This was influenced by their personalities and who they wanted to become. And the final factor, national interests, led them to a direct conflict in which they then parted ways and into the arms of the USA. They were both fighting for the existence of communism but could not co-exist.