The Nationalist Revolution Assisted by the Soviet Union

Abstract

Soviet assistance allowed Sun Yatsen’s Nationalist Party to enjoy unprecedented consolidation and growth, to which the young Communists made a significant contribution within a short period of time. But after Sun’s death, the Nationalist Party broke up because of a lack of leadership and also because it was easy for Moscow’s representative to lead the party down an expected and unacceptable path. This inevitably produced strong resistance within the Nationalist Party and eventually led to a complete split with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The USSR was certainly the strongest supporter of the Nationalist Revolution. At the same time, it also initiated a process to destroy the Nationalist Revolution and to bring about a complete break between the Nationalist Party and the USSR and the CCP.