Soviet-Chinese merger

[RedRalph]

Does anyone think it would have been possible, under any circumstances? Say if Stalin had been suceeded by Beria, if the split had never happened, etc?

 

[innonimatu]

As far as I know Mao always fancied himself as second in worldwide communism leadership, after Stalin. So he would clash with whoever replaced him.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Never. The Chinese will never submit to rule by a foreign power (which was what the Soviets really were, to the Chinese).

Not unless they're the ones calling the shots inside such a union.

 

[Illdisposed]

Never. The Chinese will never submit to rule by a foreign power (which was what the Soviets really were, to the Chinese).

Not unless they're the ones calling the shots inside such a union.

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes but wern't Jurchens 'Jin' Dinasty, Mongol 'Yuan', and, most importantly, Manchu 'Qing' Dynasty founded by an outside conquerers?
On topic, no such union would not be possible for two reasons:
- it did not happen, and "what if" category is a not a subject of history but rather fiction.
- there were no underlying reasons/ factors for this even to be considered.

 

[The Yankee]

Those weren't voluntary submissions. And such foreign dynasties Sinocized themselves in due time, anyway.

 

[Tee Kay]

Does anyone think it would have been possible, under any circumstances? Say if Stalin had been suceeded by Beria, if the split had never happened, etc?

Very improbable. While Mao considered the USSR an ally, he never considered himself its subordinate. Besides, Mao didn't chased out the western powers just to be ruled over in turn by another foreign power. Also, there's no evidence that Stalin or Beria wanted to merge with China. Plus there's the cultural differences between the two countries.

 

[manlyboy]

Russian males have staggeringly low life expectancies.

Chinese males suffer from a staggeringly high gender imbalance.

Lots of open space and single ladies in Russia.

Don't write the idea off just yet!

 

[Knight-Dragon]

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes but wern't Jurchens 'Jin' Dinasty, Mongol 'Yuan', and, most importantly, Manchu 'Qing' Dynasty founded by an outside conquerers?

It was Westerners' fault.

The answer is modern Chinese nationalism, aided by modern media, communications and education system. In the past, the Chinese nation was pretty much fragmented because of its sheer pop size and geography, but modern Chinese nationalism (born in the period of foreign humiliation after 1850 or so) gave the Chinese people a formidable single-mindedness, on top of its already formidable cultural unity.

Hence ancient nomads might be able to conquer China (with the partial aid of some Chinese factions in the case of the Mongols and the Manchus) but this is no longer possible in today's China.