Une reinterpretation des origines de la dispute sino-sovietique d'apres des temoignages de diplomates russes
In: Relations internationales: revue trimestrielle d'histoire, Heft 148, S. 17-32
ISSN: 0335-2013
This article proposes a reinterpretation of the origins of the Sino-Soviet dispute through Chinese and Soviet documents, and, above all, according to the memoirs of a dozen Russian diplomats and interpreters who witnessed bilateral negotiations between 1949 and 1960. It invites neither to overvalue the weight of ideology nor to underestimate the importance of false perceptions and the human factor in the outbreak of the Sino-Soviet quarrel. Contrary to a widespread idea, dissention about the future of revolution, in particular in the Third World, appeared late and was not decisive. The Sino-Soviet dispute resulted mainly from Mao's ambitions and Khrushchev's personality on the one hand, and on the other, from disagreements about strategic issues and the defence of 'national interest'. Adapted from the source document.