Stalin Was a Sucker

Stalin was a total sucker.

At a time when Soviet Russia was dirt poor and even starving, it poured hard cash, weapons, and military personnel into bolstering the Chinese revolution. It didn't matter whether it was the Kuomintang or the Communist Party—the goal was simply to overthrow the democratizing Republic of China, whose stance on Mongolia and Xinjiang had rubbed Moscow the wrong way.

Stalin helped reorganize the KMT, establish the Whampoa Military Academy, and launch the Eastern Expedition and Northern Expedition—all while simultaneously nurturing the growth of the Communist Party. In 1928, he seemed to have won, but KMT-CCP split. Before he could even celebrate, he put all his chips on the Communists.

By 1949, it seemed he had won too, but he had actually planted the seeds of future disaster: the Sino-Soviet split eventually turned former allies into bitter enemies, even leading to armed border clashes. As a result, even today, with the war in Ukraine raging, Russia still cannot afford to let its guard down along its southern frontier. Stalin's political heir, Mr. Putin, must still periodically go hat in hand to Beijing to curry favor.

If Stalin knew what was coming, would he regret his original investment?

"I footed the bill, I supplied the guns, I trained the men, and in the end, I bred an untouchable, hostile neighbor right next door. How much better it would have been to just sit back and watch the Republic of China transition to democracy."