Differences between the Chinese and Russian Revolutions
The two revolutions happened at a time when the global geopolitical was reshaping. The significant difference between them was founded on their period of occurrence. The Russian revolution happened in 1917, while the Chinese revolution erupted later in 1947.[1] According to a study, 1949 was a defining year for the communism because it triumphed over capitalism. This event happened three decades after that of the Russians had come to an end. Interestingly, the Chinese revolution took about 28 years compared to the Russian revolution, which only took a year. With the 28 years of a revolution, it was a demonstration of the commitment of the workers and peasants to dethrone the capitalist and landlords.[2] The Russian revolution is attributed to Karl Marx’s inspiration, and Marxist ideas were hardly known in China at the time of the Russian revolution. Importantly, the Russian intellectuals focused on socialism debate for over a decade. To this effect, it was predictable that the revolution was imminent. The Russian revolution was successful and brisk, as evident in the shortest time it took.[3] However, in China, the communist party needed time to build its case and win the backing of the masses. This factor caused the revolution to take a slow pace as social unrest, and less industrialization were widespread. Therefore, it took the Chinese communist party years to understand the Marxist approach.
Secondly, Chinese and Russian activists were motivated by different powers. For example, the Russian activists relied on the support of Bolshevik whose ideas resonated with the majority of workers in the major cities across the country.[4] At the time, industrialization was pressurizing workers and almost focused on displacing them from their work. This triggered unrest across the cities, hence appealing to revolutionaries for help. The combined efforts of the Bolsheviks and social unrest triggered the 1917 Russian revolution.[5] Conversely, in China, the rural peasants opted to grab the bull by its horn. Compared to Russian, China had nearly no industrialization. To this effect, the number of workers was insignificant. Since the ruling nationalist party never paid close attention to the rural population, the communist party took the advantage and won the confidence of the rural majority- peasants.[6] For example, the communist party was known for advocating for the interests of the peasants, including land reforms, military strategies, and empowering women.
Finally, the military strategies adopted in both revolutions were distinct. For the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks undertook the concepts of war, especially when he sanctioned the Russian military to abandon the World War I. With this decision, the Russian masses responded by widespread unrest leading to ruinous consequences. However, for the Chinese, the communist party was appealing to the masses by using aggressive strategies to pursue the struggle. Through the communist party policies, China managed to overcome the powers of the mighty Japanese invaders. Amalgamation was the point of difference. For instance, the Chinese preferred counter-attacking the energy leading to the toppling of the Guomindang government. The communist party empowered the peasants leading to poverty reduction incidences. Conversely, for the Bolsheviks, the targeted supporters would naturally rally behind him to defeat the foe.
Similarities
Both revolutions share many similarities than differences. First, both revolutions happened in a timely version, particularly immediately after the great world wars. Russia, for instance, organized a revolution after the First World War (1917), while the Chinese revolution happened after World War Two (1949).[7] This factor could not have been a coincidence but could have been attributed to the impact of these wars on their economic performance. Although both countries applied different strategies, like withdrawal from the war while China made an onslaught to force the enemy out of its territory, the consequences were immeasurable. In China, the war impoverished the rural peasants while the landlords amassed wealth leading to a build of tension. Therefore, it only needed a simple action to trigger the revolution. In both cases, the leaders blamed the wars for their misfortunes, and they wanted to use their political structures to succeed.
The leaders of both revolutions were charismatic. The Chinese Mao Zedong and Russian Vladimir Lenin were outstanding and charismatic leaders who used their leadership qualities to initiate change and convince their followers to join the socialist revolution.[8] Zedong and Lenin were conversant with persuasive and convincing skills. Following their triumph, both leaders advocated for equality and encouraged industrialization. Finally, both leaders advocated for communist ideals as a way of breaking from the capitalist agenda.[9] Russian planned to spread its influence in her former allies while China considered extending her power to Vietnam and overtake the political influence of these nations.
Conclusion
The Chinese revolution and Russian revolutions were comparable. As evident in this study, it arguable that leadership played vital roles in rallying and mobilizing resources for their revolt. Without a doubt, both revolutions redefined global politics and led to the emergence of a strong communist economy. Apart from the differences in strategies and periods, they pursued similar interests. Nonetheless, based on the duration and drivers of the war, the Chinese revolution was the greatest.
[1]. Albert Manke, “The Impact of the 1949 Chinese Revolution on a Latin American Chinese Community: Shifting Power Relations in Havana’s Chinatown,” Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional, 61, no. 2 (2018), doi:10.1590/0034-7329201800207.
[2]. Zhihua Shen, A Short History of Sino-Soviet Relations, 1917-1991 (Palgrave MacMillan, 2019), 13.
[3]. Ibid., 17.
[4]. Elizabeth McGuire, Red at Heart: How Chinese Communists Fell in Love with The Russian Revolution (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018), iv.
[5]Alan Woods, “The Chinese Revolution of 1949,” Socialist Appeal, last modified October 1, 2019, https://www.socialist.net/the-chinese-revolution-of-1949.htm.
[6] Ibid.
[7]. Manke, “The Impact of the 1949 Chinese Revolution.”
[8]. McGuire, Red at Heart, 274.
[9]. Woods, “The Chinese Revolution.”