China and the Cold War, 1950-1991

H1 History - syllabus 8838, 2027

The Sino-Soviet alliance and split, the 1969 border clash, Sino-American confrontation and rapprochement, and the normalisation of Sino-Soviet relations.

• The Sino-Soviet alliance, 1950-1956

  The 1950 treaty bound China to the USSR, and Soviet aid helped build China's industry, but the partners were never equals.

• The roots of the Sino-Soviet split, 1956-1962

  Disputes over de-Stalinisation, coexistence with the West, Taiwan and Soviet aid turned allies into open rivals.

• The border clash of 1969

  Fighting on the Ussuri River in 1969 made China see the USSR as its main threat and opened the way to the USA.

• Sino-American confrontation, 1950-1969

  Korea and Taiwan locked China and the USA into two decades of hostility, non-recognition and trade embargo.

• Rapprochement and normalisation, 1969-1979

  Shared fear of the USSR, the American exit from Vietnam and later economic interests brought China and the USA together.

• Sino-Soviet normalisation, 1979-1989

  China demanded the removal of three obstacles; Gorbachev met them, and the 1989 summit normalised relations.

• Put it together: What shaped China's Cold War relations?

  Choose a factor and see how it shaped China's relations with each superpower.