The US has a strong opponent this time: How new cold war is a bigger challenge for Uncle Sam?

The story is from 1818: Born in Tiere, a small town in Germany, the world's most influential and most controversial philosopher named Karl Marx. Who knew Karl Marx would change the future of the whole world. Marx gave a political impetus to the ongoing social upheaval around the world by shutting down his ideas in the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, and Marxist thought was born. That started talking about revolution.

Marx's next story began after his death in 1883. When Marxist thinking began to flourish around the world in the 21st century. This was the era of colonialism and imperialism which kept the people of the world in bondage. In order to free themselves from the socialist perils, the opposition needed a thought. In such a situation, Marx's thought became the guide of opponents all over the world and Marxist thinking became a slogan. “Let the workers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but chains.” This antagonism spread from Russia, China, and Cuba to India. the most successful Marxist, the hero of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution, Vladimir Lenin, or the hero of the Chinese Communist Revolution, Mao Zedong, changed the world map.

In 1917, Lenin laid the foundations of the Soviet Union by throwing away the sovereignty of the Tsar and presenting the first example of the Marxist revolution. At first sight, the Soviet Union became a superpower and a major challenge to the United States after World War II. Three decades after the Russian Revolution, the struggle between the KMT and the Communist Party of China gave birth to Mao Zedong's Chinese Communist Revolution. In 1949, Communist China was born, the second-largest power to emerge. On paper, both countries have been influenced by Marxist ideology and few communist nations. And because of these ideological differences, these two countries have been described as ideological opponents of the United States.

In the new Cold War of the 21st century, China is being called the new Soviet Union, but is it really? Is China the same as the Soviet Union, or is it quite different? This question is important because a wall was erected between them in 1969 after the early brotherhood of China and the Soviet Union. When, despite their ideological similarities, they became embroiled in a border dispute and involved in a full-scale war. Besides, have you ever wondered why there were two communist countries that were based on Marx's thinking, yet one of them collapsed in the '90s. Chinese communism persisted and grew stronger day by day. Why do some scholars claim that China is not the Soviet Union? Rather, it is even stronger, and so the new Cold War will be very different from the old Cold War. In this article, we will answer these questions.

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Top-down versus Bottom-Up revolution:

The first difference is the nature of the revolution of the Chinese and Soviet Union, which saved Chinese communism even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Where the Chinese revolution rose from the ground and there was a popular uprising, the Soviet revolution was dominated by the educated class. In China since 1937, communist ideology began to spread among the peasantry in China, as systematic propaganda.

Communist leaders set up several puppet governments in rural China, with the overwhelming support of peasants. Local governments have focused on the development of farmers in the village, informing the farmers about communism. With this localized and grounded mass education, Chinese communism spread from village to village. Therefore, Chinese communism was more stable than Soviet communism. Soviet communism was from top to bottom because what is being implemented against the Tsarist government is basically what the educated middle class wanted.

The Bolshevik revolution was a personality-based revolution, but the Chinese revolution was a people's revolution. Although later Mao set an example of a dangerous dictatorship by taking all the power into his own hands, in the beginning, the Chinese communist revolution was not just a one-leader revolution.

The Marxist revolution of Russia, on the other hand, has always been dominated by the elite, which has led the Russian people to regard communism as an imposed or alien ideology. In such a situation, Soviet communism had to end one day. It is as if the United States did not succeed in imposing democracy on feudal or reactionary societies. No ideology can succeed in the long run unless people are educated for a sustainable process towards democracy or any other ideology.

 Global Dominance versus Regional dominance:

Professor Amit's biography says that the goal of Soviet world domination also separates it from China because China's goal now is only Asian regional domination. That is why China has never attacked any country except some regional disputes and border riots. The Soviet Union's massive territorial expansion is a clear indication of its dream of world domination. The Soviet Union stretched from Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Latvia, etc., in the west to five Central Asian states and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in the south. And so it includes people of many nationalities. The aim of Soviet world domination was to dominate military and ideological power. She also did this by exporting communism all over the world. The Warsaw Pact also spoke of the Soviet communist bloc's response to the US-led NATO alliance. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 also secured its mission to eradicate global communism. It is as if the United States has been using its military and economic power to expand democracy around the world, but China has done nothing of the sort. It shares borders with the centuries-old Chinese Empire, except for a few areas. Decades ago, she abandoned her ideological mentality and adopted non-alignment diplomacy, which became stronger after the 1969 Sino-Russian war. China may try to spread itself in the future, but at the moment its ambitions are regional. It also gives him the advantage of avoiding wars around the world and directing herself to his home ground. And avoids any blunder.



Differences in the nature of power:

Another difference is the nature of Soviet power. The Soviet Union was a military powerhouse that used its economic growth to promote the military but did not focus on defense, which in one way or another has hampered its economic growth in the long run. Whereas China is basically the economic powerhouse. But its military is not as powerful as the Soviet Union. China is also trying to translate its economic power into military power, but it is not as concerned about defense as the Soviets, because the obsession with one sector does not last long. The fact is that China is still dependent on Russia for all its defense technologies. Due to the Soviet military power, Russia is still very strong in military power.

In addition, China today is closely linked to the global economy, unlike the Soviet Union, which has sought to develop its own economy by isolating it.

Military versus Economic development:

Due to the fundamental differences in the nature of power, the Soviet Union wanted to establish its dominance by using its military while China wanted to do the same with its economic power. In this respect, China seems less like the Soviet Union and more like the United States - which established the International Economic Organization for its global domination. Therefore, the method of establishing Chinese domination is different from that of the Soviets with a much stronger economy. We see this model in China's String of Pearls and Belt and Road initiatives. That is why trade and economic competition is a major feature of US-China hostility. While the US-Soviet animosity was largely an enemy of the arms race or military domination.

How China is a more powerful opponent than USSR?

The nature of the new Cold War led by China today is very different from the Cold War led by the Soviets due to the interplay of Chinese economic power and Soviet military power. At the time of the Cold War of the 20th century, the United States was a larger and more powerful economy than the Soviet Union, and the domination of the world by American domination was an important American strategy. The Soviets focused on defense and its flawed economic model and its military allies, which were more organic and artificial. As a result, the Cold War of the 20th century was on America's side. Learning from the economic model, today China also prefers economic dominance. Therefore, in the new Cold War, the United States and China are almost in the same position and the new Cold War is in a fairly balanced position.

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Challenge to confront China:

The way in which China has integrated itself into the international economy today does not strengthen the United States' alliance with Europe, as it did in the 20th century. Today, US allies in Europe are hardly in a position to confront China. Then preparing the world to go against China is a big challenge for America today. Many countries are economically dependent on China, so India is also suspicious of an anti-China alliance. Maybe that's why the QUAD is still just an informal security dialogue, not a NATO-like alliance.

China has never called the United States a rival:

The next big difference is that the Soviets considered the United States their rival. But China has so far not done so. China is talking about a new model of important country relations, as it wants to govern with the United States. China has always suggested finding common ground to resolve differences and presents itself as a sensible power. This is also because there is a big difference between the US understanding of China and the US understanding of the Soviets. This is to China's advantage because while the Soviets have a very confrontational attitude, because of which the Europeans considered it a threat, China does not see Europe as a Soviet state. In such a scenario, it would be difficult for the United States to persuade its allies against China, and that is why China is more powerful than the Soviets.

Interdependence factor:

And so, after the Soviet Union, China and the United States today are heavily dependent on one world. The Soviet Union was an isolated economy, while China and the United States have become the largest economies in the world today. This fact also separates China and the Soviets. At the same time, due to its confrontational attitude, the Soviets have always been involved in an unnecessary and unsustainable, and never-ending struggle for power and eventually fell, and the power struggle is now considered a cause of possible American decline. The point is to gradually strengthen yourself. China did learn from the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Differences in authoritarianism:

There are significant differences between Soviet and Chinese authoritarianism. The difference is that China has changed over time, unlike the Soviets. Whenever there was an internal or external threat, the Soviets would react aggressively and start repressing the rebels. As a result, she could not change herself over time due to constructive criticism and had to fall. The crisis of the Soviet economy and politics was not a one-day affair, but the Soviet leaders did not allow for polite and constructive criticism because of the strictness of their authoritarianism and institution. But in China, with a few exceptions, Mao has finally allowed a limited amount of polite criticism, and so she has been constantly reforming herself.

Nationality and national identity:

The next difference is between nationalism and national identity. National identity is essential for the sustainable development of any country where people feel connected in spite of their diversity. Identity is born. The USSR was a mixture of nationalities; therefore, it was imperative that a spirit of unity be born among the people there. On the other hand, the Chinese communists succeeded in doing this, despite the differences and uprisings that kept the nationalists and the Chinese Communist Party people tied to one world.


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