Mercy A. Kuo Submitted for the Degree of D.Phil. St. Antony's College Trinity Term 1999 This ...

277 Pages·2012·3.49 MB·English

Abstract for Contending with Contradictions: PRC Policy towards Soviet Eastern
Europe with Special Reference to Poland, 1953-1960
Mercy A. Kuo Submitted for the Degree of D.Phil.
St. Antony's College Trinity Term 1999
This doctoral thesis examines the objectives, consequences, and significance of the
People's Republic of China's (PRC) policy towards Soviet Eastern Europe with special
reference to Poland from 1953 to 1960.
The most significant finding of this thesis is the confirmation of the close
collaboration between the Chinese and Poles in the events surrounding the Polish October
in 1956. This study argues that the Chinese Communist leadership played a decisive role in
preventing Soviet military action in Warsaw during those few critical days in October, 1956.
In successfully defusing the tension between Moscow and Warsaw, the Chinese reached a
parity of prestige in which the PRC could duly consider itself equal with the Soviet Union.
With the restoration of its "rightful" place in the postwar world order as the ultimate aim of
the Chinese revolution, the PRC forged relations with the Soviet bloc holding the view that
equality with the Soviet Union was a crucial prerequisite in recovering its global position.
The PRC's Soviet East Europe policy, namely in its relations with Poland, paved the PRC's
road toward reaching equality with the Soviet Union, but at the same time exposed the
contradictory nature of bloc unity, the weak foundations of Soviet authority, and the deep-
seated belief of the Chinese leadership in the PRC's sovereign position as the centre of the
world Communist revolution.
Thus, contending contradictions in intra-party relations between the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP), the Polish United Workers' Party (PUWP), and the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) formed the crux of the intra-bloc imbroglio which
threatened Soviet authority in the bloc and led to the Sino-Soviet split in 1960.
Contending with Contradictions: PRC Policy towards Soviet Eastern
Europe with Special Reference to Poland, 1953-1960
Mercy A. Kuo
St. Antony's College
A dissertation submitted at the University of Oxford in fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
(74, 681 words excluding the bibliography)
Trinity Term, 1999
To my beloved grandmothers,
Elizabeth Mei-Pe Chiang for her fighting spirit
and
Lena Shu-lan Liu Kuo for her enduring faith
"That which hath been is now;
and that which is to be hath already been;
and God requireth that which is past."
-Ecclesiastes3:15
Acknowledgements
This thesis is the culmination of a journey which entailed traversing three continents,
collecting a plethora of unique, priceless experiences, and meeting various individuals whose help,
kindness, insight, and support were indispensable along the way. In the use of library resources,
my appreciation is extended to the librarians at the following institutions: St. Antony's College
Library, the Bodleian Library and the Library of the Institute for Chinese Studies, all at the
University of Oxford, Green Library at Stanford University, and Honnold Library at The Claremont
Colleges.
At St. Antony's College, two sources of financial support funded travel for archival
research: the Louis Cha Fund, granted by the Asian Studies Centre, and the Stahl Fund,
administered by the Senior Tutor. The Louis Cha Fund provided the means to meet representatives
from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of World History, the Institute of
Contemporary International Relations, and the Centre of International Strategic Studies of the
Party Academy of the CCP, all in Beijing. The Stahl Fund supported travel to Warsaw, Poland to
access archives at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Modern Records Office.
During my visit to Beijing in March-April 1997, I had the opportunity to meet the
following specialists at the Institute of Russian and East European Studies of the Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences: Zhang Wenwu, Zhao Naibin, Zhang Yongyong, Cheng Guangshi, Liu Binyan,
Ma Xipu, and Zhu Xiaozhong. Most of them represent the first generation of Chinese students sent
to different Eastern European countries during the 1950s and 1960s. I am grateful to all of them
for lending their observations and sharing with me personal recollections of their experiences in
Eastern Europe. I wish also to express my appreciation to Prof. Jiang Changbin and Dr. Qi
Chengsheng of the International Strategic Research Centre of the Party Academy of the CCP
Central Committee in Beijing. Interviews with them rendered invaluable insight which enhanced
11
the content of this study. I am grateful to Prof. Rosemary Foot of the Asian Studies Centre, St.
Antony's College for her assistance in opening the way for my visit to the Party Academy.
In Poland, I deeply appreciate the support system provided by members of the Polish
Academy of Sciences, Institute of Political Studies Prof. Andrzej Paczkowski, Director of
Science and Studies, Dr. Ryszard Zelichowski, Director of Promotion and International Relations,
and Ewa Balcerek, Chief of the Secretariat, who kindly made available the Institute's resources and
facilities. Two members of the Institute to whom I am especially indebted are Prof. Krzysztof
Gawlikowski and Krzysztof Persak. Prof. Gawlikowski's support allowed me to access archives
at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Modern Records Office, and the Polish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Library and Reading Room. Without Krzysztof Persak's guidance on locating
archival documents and generosity in providing his time, advice, and incisive comments on drafts
of this work, this thesis would have been quite limited in content. At the Polish Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Archives, Marek Sender, Director of the Department of Archives, most graciously
accommodated my daily visits and requests. I am also thankful to Zbigniew Stanczyk, curator of
Polish materials, for his assistance with the Stanislaw Mikolajczyk Collection at the Hoover
Institute Archives.
In an academic exercise of this nature, I was quite fortunate to have the right mentor,
whose conscientious supervision, critical guidance, and unflagging support challenged me to settle
for nothing less than quality. For this, I express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Steve
Tsang of St. Antony's College. Throughout the course of my educational career, my parents have
been a source of strength and encouragement. Their vision and faith have been a blessing upon me.
To them, I am eternally grateful.
M.A.K.
Oxford, England
in
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ii
List of Abbreviations v
List of Tables and Diagrams vi
Regarding Romanization vii
and A Word on Translation
Chapter Page
I Introduction 1
II Concepts, Structures, Processes 13
III Constructing a Post-Stalin Foreign Policy Agenda 67
IV Commanding Authority: The Peak of PRC Involvement
in Intra-bloc Affairs 104
V Internal Convergence, External Divergence 171
VI All for One and One for All: The Impact of the PRC's Soviet
East Europe Policy on the Communist World 215
VII Conclusion 242
Bibliography 250
List of Abbreviations
AAN KC PZPR Archiwum Akt Nowych Komitetu
Centralnego Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii
Robotniczej
(Archives of Modern Records,
Central Committee of the Polish United
Workers' Party)
CC Central Committee
CCP Chinese Communist Party
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union
CPVA Chinese People's Volunteer Army
CWfflP Cold War International History Project
FRUS Foreign Relations of the United States
GMD Guomindang
ILD International Liaison Department
MZWW Mao Zedong Waijiao wenxuan (The
Selected Diplomatic Writings of Mao
Zedong)
NTDA New Technology Defense Agreement
PLA People's Liberation Army
PMFAA Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archives
PPR Polish People's Republic
PUWP Polish United Workers' Party
PRC People's Republic of China
USA United States of America
USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republic
List of Tables and Diagrams
Item Page
1. Table A: Perceptions of Equality 47
2. Scheme 1: The PRC's Position in the Intermediate Zone 71
3. Scheme 2: The PRC's Position in Intra-bloc Relations 108
4. Table I: Sequence of Relevant Events in 1956 114
VI
Regarding Romanization
There are two primary systems of Chinese romanization: Wade-Giles andpinyin. I have chosen
to use the latter. Therefore, proper names according to the Wade-Giles systems, such as
Kuomintang or Chou En-lai, have been rendered Guomindang and Zhou Enlai, according to
pinyin. However, where authors of sources cited have used Wade-Giles or other forms of
Chinese spelling, I have retained the original spelling.
A Word on Translation
Unless otherwise indicated, all cited texts Chinese and Polish have been translated into English
by this author.
vn