What are the differences between the Russian Revolution and the Chinese Revolution?
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World Politics Vol. 13, No. 2 (Jan., 1961) , pp. 210-230 (21 pages) Published By: Princeton Institute for International and Regional Affairs https://doi.org/10.2307/2009516 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2009516 Journal Information World Politics, founded in 1948, is an internationally renowned quarterly journal of political science published in both print and online versions. Open to contributions by scholars, World Politics invites submission of research articles that make theoretical and empirical contributions to the literature, and review articles bearing on problems in international relations and comparative politics. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection.
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2019 - 5:30pm to 7:30pm The lecture will comprise a series of reflections that compare the revolutionary process in the Russian Empire and the early Soviet Union with that in China between 1920 and 1949. Scholars of China, writing in the 1970s and 1980s, especially in the wake of the Cultural Revolution, tended to agree that the Chinese Revolution had very little in common with the Russian Revolution, being very much a product of Chinese conditions. Recent scholars, by contrast, have tended to stress the extent to which Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) followed the Stalinist model. The lecture will reflect on the similarities and differences between the two revolution by looking at: 1) the context of war and the military character of the revolutions; 2) the social forces that made the revolutions; 3) the relationship between class and nation in the two revolutions; 4) the role of propaganda, campaigns and the nature of mass mobilization; and 5) the revolutions as fundamentally revolutions against backwardness. Learning about the revolutionary history of Russia and its ascension to a modern state, I continue to be struck by the parallels to the rise of modern China and its revolutionary period in the late 19th and early 20th century. Last semester I took a class on the Rise of Modern China with very limited knowledge of Chinese or Russian revolutionary history. Though we did discuss the effects of Marxism-Leninism on the Chinese revolutions, I lacked the knowledge necessary to place this in any sort of historical context. However, the past few class sessions have helped me crystalize the ways in which China and Russia followed similar trajectories as they modernized. One of the clearest similarities between the two countries was their agrarian-based economies and large peasant populations that, along with the intellectual classes, became revolutionaries due to their exasperation with ineffectual monarchies and unequal social structures. Both nations had tentative revolutionary successes before finally defeating the powers of their respective empires: Russia had a 1905 revolution as well as the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, and China had revolutions in 1911 and 1949. Both countries were weakened by civil wars between opposing ideological and national groups. Communism took hold in Russia first, but Lenin proved highly influential to Mao Zedong, who would become Chairman of the People’s Republic of China and declare it a communist state in 1949. Indeed, the revolutionary activity in Russia proved to be an impetus for the Chinese revolutionaries to stage a second uprising. One of the most intriguing – and perplexing – similarities I have yet to notice is the parallel family backgrounds of Mao and Stalin. These two men are considered to be among the world’s most ruthless and fearful dictators, and both came from families with strict, abusive fathers and compassionate mothers. Both also dabbled in religion before reverting to atheism. I don’t know much about psychoanalytic theories of war or dictatorship, and I hardly know what to make of this connection, but I would like to continue to explore studies of comparative revolutions in upcoming weeks. Comparison of Russian and Chinese RevolutionsDifferencesBolshevik Forces marching. First of all, a primary difference between the two revolutions was that the Chinese Revolution occured
much later and lasted much longer than the Russian Revolution. Communism triumphed in China in 1949, 30 years after the Russian Revolution. The Chinese Revolution lasted about 28 years, while the Russian Revolution only lasted about one year. The reason for this difference is because the ideas of Karl Marx (which inspired the movement in Russia) were barely known in China in the early 1900s. In Russia, intellectuals had been discussing socialism for half a century, so when the time
came, Vladimir Lenin knew the revolution must happen. It was rapid and successful, so it only lasted a short time. In China, it took a long time for the communist party to build up. The revolution was slower because there was less industrialization and social unrest. Not until the Chinese Communist Party formed were the Marxist strategies practiced. SimilaritiesMao Zedong declaring People's Republic of China Of even more importance are the similarities
between the Russian and Chinese Revolutions. First of all, despite the time gap between the revolutions, they both occured at the end of the two world wars. The Russian Revolution of 1917 occured only a year before the end of World War II. The Chinese Revolution of 1949 occurred just a few years after the end of World War II. The reason for this similarity is because the wars hit both countries hard. Although different in their strategies (Russian trying to withdraw while China
trying to act aggressively in order to put an end to it), the war had a similar affect on both countries. Impoversished, exploited peasants and wealthy landlord classes had already suffered increased tension, and the wars just helped to spark these revolutions. Also, the leaders of the revolutions were able to blame their failing performances in each war on the political structures they wanted to overtrhow, strengthening their campaigns further. Works Cited*picture links embedded on imageStrayer, Robert W. Ways of the World: A Global History with Sources. Cracking the AP World History Exam. 2012th ed. New York: Random House, What are the differences between the Chinese and Russian Revolution?The Chinese Revolution lasted about 28 years, while the Russian Revolution only lasted about one year. The reason for this difference is because the ideas of Karl Marx (which inspired the movement in Russia) were barely known in China in the early 1900s.
What are the similarities between the Russian and Chinese Revolution?The outcomes of these revolutions were very similar in China and Russia. Both nations ended up creating a communist government where everyone was equal, but they also ended up creating totalitarian style dictatorships. Each was ruled by one man and everyone was equal and on the bottom.
What made the Russian Revolution different than the other revolutions?Even though there were more similarities, the main difference between these revolutions was that the Russian monarchy were not a threat to the people of Russia, Tsar Nicholas wanted to be with his family, not rule a country.
What did the Russian and Chinese revolutions have in common quizlet?What were the aspects of the Chinese Communist Party's strategy on its revolutionary path to power? Land reform and guerilla warfare. What did the Russian and Chinese revolutions share in common with the French Revolution? A vision of the good society in a modernizing future.
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