The Nuclear War Between Russia and China That Almost Happened

The relationship between Russia and China dates back to the 17th century, when conflict arose following the Qing dynasty trying to remove Russian settlers from Manchuria. The tension between the two nations ended with the Treaty of Nerchinsk, which placed a check on Russia's continued expansion to the east.

Both countries underwent political upheavals in the early 1920s. Under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, the newly-formed Soviet Union dismantled the remains of the Russian monarchy throughout the early 1920s. In China, the Communist Party (CCP) was formed by revolutionaries who'd turned to Marxism following the Russian Revolution. It joined with the Kuomintang (KMT), but their relationship deteriorated after a violent upheaval caused the CCP to go underground.

During the Long March of 1934-35, Mao Zedong became leader of the CCP, a title he'd hold until his death in 1976. The CCP and the KMT, led by Chiang Kai-shek, became locked in an intense conflict. This led the relationship between China and the USSR to sour, as the Soviet government chose to support Chiang over Mao.