The Sino-Soviet Rift by William E Griffith

The Sino-Soviet Rift by William E Griffith

Originally published in 1964, this book summarizes, documents and analyses the developments in Sino-Soviet relations between February 1962 and November 1963. The book explores what happened in this period, and what was revealed about the past and the present, and how this differed from previous periods. The author maintains that the rift was the single most significant ideological split since the Reformation in the 16th century with the formidable consequences of the dispute being mirrored in the foreign policy actions of neutral and Western nations.

The book includes a brief revised history of the dispute, the re-intensification of the dispute due to the Cuban and Sino-Indian crises, the five Communist congresses in Europe between November 1962 and January 1963, the exchange of letters leading up to the Sino-Soviet meeting of July 1963, the signature of the Test Ban Treaty and the aftermath of both events.

The book is an indispensable tool for analysing and collating in a meaningful context, the flood of documentation which the Sino-Soviet rift released.

William E. Griffith (1920–1998)