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Apush Dbq Essay

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During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, China’s position quickly dwindled from being the dominant power in the East to struggling against encroaching Western powers that desired its territories, one of its main opponents being Russia. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the newly established Bolshevik regime offered to return various territories seized by the Tsarist empire to China, but they failed to deliver on their promises when they seized Outer Mongolia and $2 billion in machinery soon after. This instance, among many others, contributed to hostile Sino-Soviet relations during the twentieth century. While Mao’s interpretation of Marxism included using peasants as the basis for revolution, Stalin felt that workers were meant to lead an urban-based class war. This led to Stalin’s view that the revolution in China was not genuinely Marxist and his refusal to support the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). However, Stalin also feared Mao as a rival, did not want the Cold War to spread to Asia, and favored the Guomindang over the CCP. These personality clashes and Stalin’s instinct for self-preservation convinced Mao that Stalin wished for a divided and weak China that would be unable to …show more content…

Despite the promise of friendship and collaboration, the Chinese were offended by the superior attitude of the Soviets during negotiations, lack of entertainment, and poor accommodations. As a result of the treaty, the Soviet Union agreed to provide low-interest aid and expertise to the Chinese. However, Mao saw this not as an equal partnership, but an attempt by the Soviets to establish their dominance. Stalin encouraged Mao to intervene in the Korean War, but demanded that Mao pay for the $1.35 billion in equipment and supplies. There were also suspicions that Stalin had deliberately delayed the end of the Korean War to exhaust Mao’s forces and

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