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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.

April 15, 2025

Nikita S. Khrushchev (right) chatting with Mao Zedong.(Bettmann Archive / Getty Images)

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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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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

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.

How the New Deal Invented the National Security State w/ Andrew Preston / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek speak with historian Andrew Preston about the origins and development of the American national security state as we know it. They discuss the original meaning of “national security” in the early days of the republic; the idea of free security; the New Deal and the relationship between social security and national security; World War II, the Cold War, and the expansion of the security state; liberalism and American empire; and what national security looks like moving forward.

Be sure to grab a copy of Andrew’s book on the subject, Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security.

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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