Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and thank you for joining me for today's history lesson.

I'll be guiding you through all of our resources today, and my top priority is to make sure that by the end of our lesson, you are able to successfully meet our learning objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the development of the Cold War, where we are asking ourselves, how did the Cold War develop in Asia? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain the impact of the loss of China on the superpowers during the Cold War.

There are four keywords which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are: balance of power, Sino-Soviet, treaty, and alliance.

The balance of power refers to the power of different countries and groups of states compared to one another.

Sino-Soviet relates to the relations between China and the USSR.

A treaty is a written agreement between two or more countries.

And an alliance is an agreement between countries or political parties to work together to achieve something.

Today's lesson will be split into two parts, and we'll begin by thinking about China and the USSR.

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party, otherwise known as the CCP, won the Chinese Civil War.

That October, the CCP's leader, Mao Zedong, declared the creation of a new state in China, the People's Republic of China, otherwise known as the PRC.

The establishment of the PRC marked the official moment that China became a communist country.

So thinking about what we just heard, I want you to write the missing word for the following sentence: the People's Republic of China, PRC, founded in 1949, was a blank state.

So what's the missing word? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the missing word was communist.

The People's Republic of China, the PRC, founded in 1949, was a communist state.

The CCP had received support from the Soviet Union during the Civil War.

Mao's victory in China and the establishment of the PRC was welcomed by the Soviet Union and its leader, Joseph Stalin.

The Soviets believed that a communist state in China would help benefit the USSR during the Cold War.

After establishing communist control in mainland China, Mao Zedong made it clear that ideology would be critical for guiding the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China.

Mao declared a policy of leaning to one side during the Cold War.

As a communist state, this meant that China would offer its complete support to other communist states, seek support from them, and fiercely oppose capitalist states.

Mao justified his lean to one side policy by arguing that capitalist states would always be hostile towards communist states.

Therefore, the PRC would not be secure unless it developed strong relations with other communist states, like the Soviet Union.

Mao's leaning policy was significant for the balance of power during the Cold War.

The addition of China to the Communist Bloc meant that communist states controlled close to one-fifth of the world's landmass and ruled over roughly 800 million people by 1949.

So, thinking about what we've just heard, what was Mao's policy of supporting other communist states known as? Was it leaning to one side, the Mao Doctrine, or World Revolution? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was A.

Mao's policy of supporting other communist states during the Cold War was known as leaning to one side.

And let's try another question.

This time we have a statement which reads, Mao's leaning to one side made the global balance of power more favourable to the USSR.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that Chinese support meant the USSR and friendly communist states ruled over nearly one fifth of all the world.

And the second says that Chinese support meant that the USSR and friendly communist states completely surrounded the USA.

So, which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was A.

Chinese support meant the USSR and friendly communist states ruled over nearly one fifth of all the world.

So Mao's leaning to one side policy made the global balance of power more favourable to the Soviet Union.

Mao travelled to the USSR in December 1949 and remained there for two months in order to meet Joseph Stalin and establish new forms of cooperation between the Soviet Union and PRC.

During this visit, the two states signed the 1950 Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship.

This treaty created a 30-year military alliance between the USSR and PRC.

This was a defensive arrangement designed to protect both countries in the event that they were attacked by the USA and its capitalist allies.

The treaty also led to China receiving substantial economic assistance from the USSR.

The Soviets agreed to provide China with $300 million worth of railways, industrial equipment, raw materials, and other goods.

Thousands of Soviet experts were also sent to China to help support officials there.

However, Stalin was also committed to ensuring that the assistance provided to China would not turn it into a potential communist rival.

For instance, Stalin did not allow Soviet nuclear technologies to be shared with their Chinese partners.

Similarly, the economic assistance provided to China was only provided in the form of loans.

So China was expected to pay the USSR back for its support.

Many critical resources which could have been used to support China's own industrial development were instead directed to Soviet industry.

Indeed, between 1954 and 1959, China supplied 160,000 tonnes of tungsten ore, 110,000 tonnes of copper, 30,000 tonnes of antimony, and 90,000 tonnes of rubber to the USSR.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of everything that we've just heard.

Study the image of a Chinese stamp.

I want you to identify two details which indicate the stamp was celebrating the Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty.

Pause the video here, and press play when you are ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done to anybody who identified any of the following details for the stamp: that they depict both Stalin and Mao, that the two leaders are shown shaking hands, and that the year 1950 is written; that's the year the treaty was signed.

For these reasons, we can tell that the stamp is referring to the Sino-Soviet Treaty and celebrating the agreement.

And let's try another question.

How did the Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty help industry in the USSR? Was it that China sent thousands of technical experts to the USSR? That China sent $300 million worth of assistance to the USSR? Or that China sent a range of critical raw materials to the USSR? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C.

The Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty helped Soviet industry because China sent a range of critical raw materials to the USSR, including 110,000 tonnes of copper between 1954 and 1959 and 90,000 tonnes of rubber in the same period.

So we are now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about China and the USSR into practise.

I want you to explain two ways in which the USSR benefited from China becoming a communist state.

The benefits you identify should be distinct and you may consider political, economic, and military consequences for the USSR of China becoming communist.

So pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So I asked for you to explain two ways in which the USSR benefited from China becoming a communist state.

And your answer may have included: The USSR became more politically secure after China became a communist state.

This was because Mao committed the PRC to leaning to one side in support of other communist states during the Cold War.

This policy meant that the USSR and China were able to agree to a 30-year military alliance as part of the 1950 Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty, guaranteeing Chinese support if the Soviets were attacked by the USA.

Furthermore, the sheer size of China meant that the global balance of power became more favourable to the USSR and its allies once China became a communist state too.

So well done if part of your answer looked like that model there.

Your answer may also have included: The USSR was able to benefit economically once China had become a communist state, as cooperation between the two countries grew.

For example, loans provided by the Soviets to the PRC as part of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty were paid back through Chinese supplies of raw materials.

Between 1954 and 1959, China provided the USSR with 160,000 tonnes of tungsten ore, 110,000 tonnes of copper, 30,000 tonnes of antimony, and 90,000 tonnes of rubber.

All of these resources were very important for supporting the needs of Soviet industry and helped it and the economy to grow.

So again, really well done if part of your own response looks like that model there.

And so now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson for today where we are going to think about the USA and the loss of China.

The success of Mao and the Communist Party in China came as a shock to many in the USA.

The establishment of the PRC as a communist state was often referred to in the US as either the fall or the loss of China.

So thinking about what we've just heard, what was the loss of China? Was it the moment when the USA lost its colonies in China, the moment when China became a communist state, or the moment when China was invaded by the USSR? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was B.

In America, the moment when China became a communist state was often referred to as either the fall or the loss of China.

The idea that China had been lost to communism was very significant for the USA during the Cold War.

The loss of China intensified US anti-communism for both international and domestic reasons.

The language of loss used in the USA to describe the victory of communists in China suggested that America itself had some responsibility for this outcome.

The Democrat-led government of President Harry Truman faced strong criticism from members of the Republican party who argued that the US had not done enough to prevent the communist victory.

Indeed, some Republicans took the loss of China as a sign that members of the government were soft on communism, or might even be secret communist sympathisers themselves.

These criticisms were politically damaging, and Truman was eager to avoid being called soft on communism himself.

Therefore, this domestic pressure encouraged a less cooperative approach to communist states after 1949.

For instance, whilst the US government had initially considered recognising Mao's communist government in China, this plan was abandoned in part because it was almost guaranteed to be criticised and blocked by Republican politicians.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've heard so far.

We have a statement on the screen which reads, there was significant concern in the US about the loss of China.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that Republicans accused some members of the government of being too tough against communism, and the second says that Republicans accused some members of the government of being soft on communism.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was B.

We can tell there was significant concern in the US about the loss of China because Republicans accused some members of the Democrat government of being soft on communism.

When Mao's communists took power in China, the US was concerned that this would strengthen the USSR by giving it another communist ally to cooperate with and access to China's many natural resources.

However, American concerns about the international consequences of the loss of China went beyond this.

US officials increasingly accepted and spoke of the domino theory.

This theory suggested that once communism was established in one country, it would destabilise other non-communist countries in the local region, leading to the spread of communism from one state to another.

In other words, one country falling to communism would lead to the same fate in many others, just like the chain reaction caused by knocking down one domino stood in front of others.

In this way, the loss of China threatened other countries such as Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and even India.

And outside intervention was necessary to contain this threat.

Like many others, President Truman became convinced that the only way to prevent the continual spread of communism in Asia was to act tough enough now to deter communist forces from taking any next steps.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

I want you to write the missing word from the following sentence.

Blank theory led the US to worry that communism in China would lead to other non-communist countries in the region falling to communism.

So what's the missing word? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the missing word was domino.

Domino theory led the US to worry that communism in China would lead to other non-communist countries in the region falling to communism.

So we are now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about the USA and the loss of China into practise.

We are gonna split task B into two parts.

Firstly, I want you to tell me what were people in the USA referring to when they spoke of the loss of China? And secondly, I want you to explain one reason why the loss of China helped to intensify American anti-communism after 1949.

For this question, you may consider domestic concerns or international concerns.

So pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So firstly, I asked you, what were people in the USA referring to when they spoke of the loss of China? And your answer may have included: people in the USA referred to the establishment of a communist state in China as the loss of China.

Although there had been a civil war in China which lasted for multiple years, most Americans had expected the communists to be defeated.

Therefore, Mao's victory came as a shock, and many Americans suggested that US policy must have contributed towards the loss of China to communism.

So really well done if your own answer looks something like that model there.

And now we can think about our responses to the second part of task B, where I asked you to explain one reason why the loss of China helped to intensify American anti-communism after 1949.

Your answer may have included: American anti-communism intensified after the loss of China because of domestic pressure.

Some groups, especially Republicans, blamed the loss of China on the government's policy and even suggested some officials might be secretly sympathetic to communism.

This encouraged President Truman and other officials to take a tough stance against communist states in order to avoid any damaging political accusations that they were going soft on communism.

For example, plans to recognise Mao's communist government in China were dropped, in part because of the reaction it would trigger from Republican critics in the US.

So well done if your own answer looks something like that model we've just seen.

Alternatively, your answer to question two may have included: American anti-communism intensified after the loss of China because of fears about the international spread of communism.

Many American officials, including President Truman himself, accepted the domino theory.

This theory suggested that once communism was established in one state, it would destabilise any non-communist states close by, leading them to fall one by one to communism themselves.

In the case of China, it was feared that its loss could trigger the victory of communism in other areas like Korea, Vietnam, and even India, unless the US took tough action to support these states against communist forces.

So really well done if your own response looks something like that model we've just seen.

And so now we've reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about the loss of China and the Cold War.

We've seen that after 1949, China followed a policy of leaning to one side, which saw it support the USSR and other communist states.

The Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty established a military alliance and considerable economic cooperation between China and the USSR, which helped strengthen the Soviet Union.

The communist victory in China was referred to as the loss of China in the USA, and intensified American anti-communism.

And US officials hoped to prevent the spread of communism from China, both because they accepted the domino theory and because they feared being criticised for going soft on communism.

So really well done for all of your hard work during today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you through our resources, and I look forward to seeing you again in future as we think further about the development of the Cold War and continue to ask ourselves, how did the Cold War develop in Asia?.