China: PLA soldier guarding the Xinjiang-Afghanistan border in the Pamir Mountains, April 1969, at the height of the Cultural Revolution. In the early 1950s, Moscow provided advisers and financial support for China’s new Communist leaders. But after Joseph Stalin died in 1953, the Sino-Soviet relationship deteriorated steadily over differences in ideology and international relations. Tensions escalated into military buildups along the Sino-Soviet border. After armed clashes erupted between Chinese and Soviet forces along China’s northeast border, many observers predicted war.

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Size: 5250px × 3316px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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