USSR annexes the PRC

[couldawouldashoulda]

Searching on the web, I can't find it anymore, but I swear I once saw an article describing how Mao once proposed to Stalin that the USSR annex the PRC, but that Stalin refused the offer (probably becuase it would've been laughably impractical). Does anyone else know about this or where the article is?

Does anyone have any thoughts on how Stalin may have come to a different decision and if the two countries' leaderships actually could've pulled the unification off? What would a colossal USSR that included all of mainland china* in it have been like? Could the vastly different populations, economies, and societies have been harmoniously meshed together somehow or would such a large state have been doomed to an early collapse? If it did manage to succeed as a single entity, what would this mega USSR's capabilities have been and how would it have geopolitically impacted the 50s and 60s? Im guessing the Korean DMZ and more or less all of South East Asia become more intense focal points of the cold war than they already were. India and Pakistan's reactions would be interesting to guess at too.

*I'm guessing Mongolia would've been absorped at this point too. Possibly North Korea as well. Not sure if Mao made this proposal before or after Tibet was annexed by the PRC. Maybe Stalin makes another go for "Southern Azerbaijan" after this as well? After all, what's a sliver or Iran when you've just annexed CHINA?!

[Henriksson]

Don't trust the internet, I guess? I have very hard to believe such a proposition would've ever crossed Mao's mind, myself.

[Alex Richards]

Originally Posted by Henriksson

Don't trust the internet, I guess? I have very hard to believe such a proposition would've ever crossed Mao's mind, myself.

Hmmm the man who actually fought during his Civil War and marched halfway across China to be the one to unify the nation, giving that up? Not likely.

The only way I can see this happening is if Mao ends up restricted to Manchuria and so basically decides to get more backing at the expense of full independence (this seems to be a much more likely background the the mentioned scenario as well), though he probably remains head of the Chinese SSR. East Turkestan might get annexed at this point as well.

But PRC absorbed by USSR this aint.

[anotherlurker]

russia annexing china? why would russia want to become china

[CandyDragon]

That would be one hell of a fat Russia.

[MarshalBraginsky]

More like USSR wank or PRC wank, whatever they called it. But Mao proposing that the USSR annex China? Now that's one OTL idea that would have been ASB by Alternate History standards.

[Inquisitor Tolkien]

That's ASB by ASB standards, even. Considering the Communist platform essentially consisted of land reform on the one hand and nationalism on the other, subsuming China into the USSR would...require such insanity of epic proportions.

[CandyDragon]

Originally Posted by Sibirskaya

More like USSR wank or PRC wank, whatever they called it. But Mao proposing that the USSR annex China? Now that's one OTL idea that would have been ASB by Alternate History standards.

By Alternate History standards? I think it would be alien spacebat equivalent for any reasonable person...

[Johnrankins]

Originally Posted by Sibirskaya

More like USSR wank or PRC wank, whatever they called it. But Mao proposing that the USSR annex China? Now that's one OTL idea that would have been ASB by Alternate History standards.

Personally I don't buy it. Why would Mao want China to be part of the USSR becoming #2 in his own country? Even if he did he probably would be assassinated if he tried. I guarantee the average Chinese doesn't think of himself as a Russian!

[Iori]

Perhaps it was'nt the whole of China, but part or all the Chinese Soviet Republic, which only controlled a small, but still big enough to be an SSR, chunk of China?

[phoenix7846]

Yeaaaah, this ain't happening. Most annexation the Soviets could hope for would be possibly Xinjiang and Manchuria again, under the stuff people already mentioned. On the other hand, if you keep China in more or less one piece, maaaaybe you could figure out how to do a sort of economic union or something approximating a political union, but no way in hell are we getting actual political union or absorption.

[MacCaulay]

Hey whoa wait what?

[The Oncoming Storm]

The only way I can see this happening is if a full blown Sino-Soviet War had broken out, the PRC would most likely lose and the peace settlement separates Manchuria and Xinjiang off either bring annexed or Soviet puppet states created.

[Snake Featherston]

I really don't see this ever being proposed, considered, or coming to pass in any way, shape, fashion, or form outside the Crack!TLs on the ASB forum. The most *minor* problems are the major personal differences between the Vohdz and the "Great Helmsman".

[marcus_aurelius]

Originally Posted by Snake Featherston

I really don't see this ever being proposed, considered, or coming to pass in any way, shape, fashion, or form outside the Crack!TLs on the ASB forum. The most *minor* problems are the major personal differences between the Vohdz and the "Great Helmsman".

This. And the fact that it's CHINA, a nation comprised of mostly Han Chinese who hated the idea of foreign rule. The most Stalin can get is Manchuria SSR and/or East Turkestan SSR, but all of China is ASBing ASB.

Marc A

[MatthewFirth]

It would have been impossible really. The Asian countries would have been stronger to defend China.

[omnimercurial]

I think the mentioned article may have been misquoted or the wording for the proposal has been somewhat mangled.

I have also seen a similar possibility mentioned by Mao, However in the document i read it was not classed as an annexation, Rather the proposal was classed as a unification/dissolution of borders.

Think more along the lines of early Socialist/Marxist principles of Internationalism and "Workers of the world unite" etc, Rather than the route of "Socialism in one country".

[couldawouldashoulda]

Originally Posted by omnimercurial

I think the mentioned article may have been misquoted or the wording for the proposal has been somewhat mangled.

I have also seen a similar possibility mentioned by Mao, However in the document i read it was not classed as an annexation, Rather the proposal was classed as a unification/dissolution of borders.

Think more along the lines of early Socialist/Marxist principles of Internationalism and "Workers of the world unite" etc, Rather than the route of "Socialism in one country".

what article was this?!?! that might've been it. and okay everyone, i get it. ASB squared. point taken. . i was pretty shocked when i saw it myself. but if omni knows where this article might be though that would be awesome

[omnimercurial]

I think i read it on www.soviet-empire.com somewhere. Its been awhile since i read it so i am unable to give you a direct link, but if you hunt around you should find it eventually.

[strangeland]

Absolutely, completely ASB, and I highly, highly doubt Mao ever would have proposed such a thing. Whatever else he was, Mao was always a staunch Chinese nationalist, and the Chinese Communist Party's entire legitimacy rests upon the claim that it rescued China from it's century of humiliation at the hands of foreign imperialists.