Tag Archives: USSR

1993 – 2016: (10) : Politics as a Science and an Art Chapter Ten of “The Logic of Politics” 王沪宁等著《政治的逻辑》

Posted on 01/18/2026 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

Chapter Ten builds upon the discussion of political parties in Chapter 9. 1993 – 2016: (9) : Political Party Divisions Are Based on Class Divisions : Chapter Nine of “The Logic of Politics” 王沪宁等著《政治的逻辑》 Chapter 10 summary: Lenin’s 1920 dictum —“politics … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy 经济, History 历史, Ideology 思想, Politics 政治 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2017: Chinese Professor Li Ling on George Orwell’s Anti-Soviet Novels “Animal Farm” and “1984”

Posted on 09/17/2025 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

When I lived in China I would come across 1984 in Chinese bookstores and wonder why the Party didn’t take it personally (or partily?). The answer is that Orwell’s books were taken as anti-Soviet rather than as anti-communist. His books … Continue reading →

Posted in Fascism, History 历史, Ideology 思想, Literature 文学, Politics 政治 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

2025: Chinese and Russian Scholars on Personality Cults

Posted on 08/30/2025 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

The question of personality cult often comes up in discussion of historic leaders of Russia’s Stalin, China’s Mao Zedong and Germany’s Adolf Hitler. What explains their success? Psychologists look to psychology, sociologists to sociology, political scientists to the dynamics of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fascism, Literature 文学, Politics 政治, Russia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

What was Party’s Role in the May 30th Movement of 1925?

Posted on 06/13/2025 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

I find ChatGPT4o, in particular its searching capabilities (search best done in Chinese for Chinese topics) a fine tool. The narratives it generates, although stimulating are not entirely reliable or reasonable, and often overconfident depending upon the sparseness of the … Continue reading →

Posted in History 历史, Ideology 思想, Politics 政治, Russia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Before the Flying Tigers — Soviet ‘Flying Bears’ Flying Against Japan

Posted on 01/09/2025 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

Volunteer Soviet pilots flying against Japanese invaders of China supported the Republic of China war effort from 1937 until the signing of the Soviet Union-Japan Non-Aggression Pact of April 1941. Wikipedia has an article about them at Soviet Volunteer Group … Continue reading →

Posted in History 历史, Russia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2008: Russians on Chinese/Russian Spy vs. Spy Wars, Lin Biao Crash

Posted on 04/18/2024 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

Between hegemonic Russia and peaceful China calmly rising as it planned the construction of a common home for all mankind and womankind, there used to be suspicions without limits. Now friendship without limits. Progress! Related on this translation blog: The … Continue reading →

Posted in Intelligence, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

1930s: List of Stalin-Purged Russian Asia Scholars from Wikipedia

Posted on 11/21/2023 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

In the vast expanse of machine translation programs and the labyrinthine corridors of Wikipedia lies a trove of narratives, particularly within the biographies section, offering an intricate tapestry for contextualizing bygone eras. Each individual story, when held against the backdrop … Continue reading →

Posted in History 历史, Russia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

1920-30s: Hungarian-Soviet Diplomat/Comintern Official in China

Posted on 11/20/2023 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

Wikipedia biographies in languages other than English often provide more detail on topics more closely related to the other language. An example is the Russian-language Wikipedia article on Ludwig Ignatievich Magyar. From Hungarian revolutionary to Soviet diplomat in China during … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Relations 外交, History 历史 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

2010: Diplomatic Historian Shen Zhihua on Archival Work

Posted on 06/09/2023 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

See also: 2010 Shen Zhihua:  Opening and Publication of Archives is Not the Same Thing 沈志华：档案的公布与开放并非一回事 ● Shen Zhihua  Key Points: That being said, it does not mean that archives themselves are history. When the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Relations 外交, Military 军事 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

2006: How the Intelligence Services Took Over in Russia

Posted on 05/20/2023 by 高大伟 David Cowhig

Returning to Oleg Grechenevsky’s mammoth online book The Origins of Our “Democratic” Regime [original title ИСТОКИ НАШЕГО “ДЕМОКРАТИЧЕСКОГО” РЕЖИМА] on KGB/Soviet/Russian power struggles. on the political evolution of the late Soviet Union and the early Russian Federation, here in part … Continue reading →

Posted in Intelligence, Russia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment