Podcast / American Prestige / Apr 15, 2025

The Sino-Soviet Split, Part 1

On this episode of American Prestige, Jeremy Friedman on the relationship between China and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

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The Sino-Soviet Split, Pt. 1 w/ Jeremy Friedman | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Please listen to our Sino-Soviet primer episode for some background!

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome back Jeremy Friedman, assistant professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy at Harvard, to talk about the Sino-Soviet Split. They lay out the state of play in the mid-1950s, the potential for détente, how the two powers are reconciling with their increasingly competing interests, the implications for the Soviet Union’s image among other communists in the wake of Khrushchev’s “secret speech”, theoretical transformations in what communism means during this period, how decolonization plays into the split, why Khrushchev pulled Soviet aid when China needed it most, and more through the mid-1960s.

Grab a copy of Jeremy’s bookShadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World!

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Nikita S. Khrushchev (right) chatting with Mao Zedong.

(Bettmann Archive / Getty Images)

On this episode of American Prestige, we welcome back Jeremy Friedman, assistant professor of business, government, and international economy at Harvard, to talk about the Sino-Soviet split. He lays out the state of play in the mid-1950s, the potential for détente, how the two powers are reconciling with their increasingly competing interests, the implications for the Soviet Union’s image among other communists in the wake of Khrushchev’s “secret speech,” theoretical transformations in what communism means during this period, how decolonization plays into the split, why Khrushchev pulled Soviet aid when China needed it most, and more through the mid-1960s.

Please listen to our Sino-Soviet primer episode for some background!

Grab a copy of Jeremy’s book Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World!

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Lula Wins Fourth Term, Serbian Students Defeat Ruling Party, US Prepares to Escalate Iran War / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek considered helping Flavio Bolsonaro mount a political comeback here in the States, but cut ties on the advice of Danny's psychic. In this week’s news: Israel's election leaves Netanyahu without a parliamentary majority (1:41); Lula wins Brazil's presidential runoff and Flávio Bolsonaro flees Brazil for the United States after his defeat (8:53); Serbia's student-led opposition topples the ruling party (14:33); the United States and Gulf states pursue a new peace initiative with Iran as the United States prepares for another military campaign after the midterms (18:35); a Sudanese military drone strike kills more than 100 people in Nyala (23:55); Turkey hosts talks between Libya's rival governments looking toward reunification (26:01); in the Russia-Ukraine war, Zelenskyy announces peace talks in Abu Dhabi for November (28:50), the two countries observe a local ceasefire near Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid (29:56), and the Trump administration considers major sanctions relief for Russia (32:21); Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returns to the country (34:50); and apparent cyberattacks disrupt refrigeration systems at U.S. military bases (37:41).

Listen to our full special on the election in Brazil with Andre Pagliarini.

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