China Learns from the Soviet Union, 1949–Present

by Li, Hua-Yu; Bernstein, Thomas P.; Chen, Tina Mai; Goikhman, Izabella; Guan, Guiha; He, Donghui; Hou, Xiaojia; Ji, You; Kong, Hanbing; Luthi, Lorenz; McGuire, Elizabeth; Rohlf, Gregory; Rozman, Gilbert; Schneider, Laurence; Stiffler, Douglas; Vámos, Péter;

• ISBN13: 9780739142226
• ISBN10: 0739142224
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-01-05
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

It is well known that the Soviet Union strongly influenced China in the early 1950s, since China committed itself both to the Sino-Soviet alliance and to the Soviet model of building socialism. What is less well known is that Chinese proved receptive not only to the Soviet economic model but also to the emulation of the Soviet Union in realms such as those of ideology, education, science, and culture. In this book an international group of scholars examines China's acceptance and ultimate rejection of Soviet models and practices in economic, cultural, social, and other realms. The chapters vividly illustrate the wide-ranging and multi-dimensional nature of Soviet influence, which to this day continues to manifest itself in one critical aspect, namely in China's rejection of liberal political reform.

Author Biography

Thomas P. Bernstein is professor emeritus of political science at Columbia University. Hua-yu Li is associate professor of political science at Oregon State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction: The Complexities of Learning from the Soviet Union	p. 1
The Ups and Downs of Sino-Soviet Relations
Sino-Soviet Relations during the Mao Years, 1949-1969	p. 27
The Main Causes for the Return of the Chinese Changchun Railway to China and Its Impact on Sino-Soviet Relations	p. 61
"Only a Handshake but no Embrace": Sino-Soviet Normalization in the 1980s	p. 79
Ideological and Military Influences
Instilling Stalinism in Chinese Party Members: Absorbing Stalin's Short Course in the 1950s	p. 107
The Soviet Model and the Breakdown of the Military Alliance	p. 131
Soviet Economic Assistance and Socialist Transformation
The Transplantation and Entrenchment of the Soviet Economic Model in China	p. 153
"Get Organized": The Impact of the Soviet Model on the CCP's Rural Economic Strategy, 1949-1953	p. 167
The Soviet Model and China's State Farms	p. 197
Society
"Labor Is Glorious": Model Laborers in the PRC	p. 231
The Soviet Impact on "Gender Equality" in China in the 1950s	p. 259
Soviet Influence on Science and Education
Soviet-Chinese Academic Interactions in the 1950s: Questioning the "Impact-Response" Approach	p. 275
"Three Blows of the Shoulder Pole": Soviet Experts at Chinese People's University, 1950-1957	p. 303
Lysenkoism and the Suppression of Genetics in the PRC, 1949-1956	p. 327
Between Revolutions: Chinese Students in Soviet Institutes, 1948-1966	p. 359
Literature and Film
Coming of Age in the Brave New World: The Changing Reception of the Soviet Novel, How the Steel Was Tempered, in the People's Republic of China	p. 393
Film and Gender in Sino-Soviet Cultural Exchange, 1949-1969	p. 421
The Era of Reform and the Impact of the Soviet Collapse
China's Concurrent Debate about the Gorbachev Era	p. 449
The Fate of the Soviet Model of Multinational State-Building in the People's Republic of China	p. 477
The Influence of the Collapse of the Soviet Union on China's Political Choices	p. 505
Concluding Assessment: The Soviet Impact on Chinese Society	p. 517
Index	p. 527
About the Contributors	p. 545
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