Book Discussion: After Leaning to One Side: China and Its Allies in the Cold War
Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar Shen Zhihua will discuss his latest book, After Leaning to One Side: China and Its Allies in the Cold War.
Overview
Shen Zhihua, director of the Center for Cold War International History Studies at East China Normal University (ECNU) and Li Danhui, research fellow at the Oriental Historical Research Association will discuss their latest book After Leaning to One Side: China and Its Allies in the Cold War which traces the rise and fall of the Sino-Soviet alliance between 1949 and 1973, emphasizing tension over the Korean and Vietnam wars. Underscoring the theme of inherent conflict within the communist movement, this book shows that while that movement was an international campaign with an imposing theory and an impressive party structure, it was also a collection of sovereign states with disparate national interests. Shen and Li explains how this dissonance was further complicated by the unequal development of the Chinese and Soviet states and their communist parties, and traces some of China's actions to Mao's grasping at leadership of the communist movement after the death of Stalin.
Click for more information about the book from Wilson Center Press.
Joining Shen and Li on the panel will be Chen Jian, senior scholar at the Cold War International History Project, and Jonathan D. Pollack, senior fellow with the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution.
Christian Ostermann, director of the History and Public Policy Program will chair this event.
6th Floor Flom Auditorium
Woodrow Wilson Center
RSVP: coldwar@wilsoncenter.oeg
Speakers
Shen Zhihua
Director, Center for Cold War International History Studies, East China Normal University (ECNU), Shanghai, China
Chen Jian
Distinguished Global Network Professor of History at New York University Shanghai/NYU; Hu Shih Professor of History Emeritus, Cornell University
Danhui Li
Christian F. Ostermann
Woodrow Wilson Center
Jonathan D. Pollack
John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution
Hosted By
History and Public Policy Program
The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs. Read more
North Korea International Documentation Project
The North Korea International Documentation Project serves as an informational clearinghouse on North Korea for the scholarly and policymaking communities, disseminating documents on the DPRK from its former communist allies that provide valuable insight into the actions and nature of the North Korean state. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
Kissinger Institute on China and the United States
The Kissinger Institute works to ensure that China policy serves American long-term interests and is founded in understanding of historical and cultural factors in bilateral relations and in accurate assessment of the aspirations of China’s government and people. Read more
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