Zhihua Shen is professor at World History Institute, East China Normal University, China. He is the leading authority on Cold War history studies in China. He is, more recently, the coauthor of A Misunderstood Friendship: Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung, and Sino-North Korean Relations, 1949-1976 (2018).

Re-examines the history of 20th century Sino-Soviet relations

Considers the key events which shaped the biletaral relations of China and Russia between 1917 and 1990

Argues that the ties between China and the USSR offered an example of the structural flaws common between members of the cold war socialist camp

Part I: Uncertain Adversaries, 1917-1948.- 1. Exporting Revolution Against the Backdrop of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between China and the Soviet Union.- 2. The Nationalist Revolution Assisted by the Soviet Union.- 3. Moscow and the Soviet Revolution in China.- 4. Sino-Soviet Diplomacy Under the Threat of War.- 5. Sino-Soviet Wartime Cooperation and Conflict.- 6. China's Civil War and Sino-Soviet and Nationalist-Communist Relations.- Part II: Comrades and Brothers, 1948-1959.- 7. The Political and Economic Foundations of the Sino-Soviet Alliance, 1948-1949.- 8. Conflicts of Interest and Creation of the Alliance Treaty, 1949-1950.- 9. Differences and Cooperation During the Korean War, 1950-1953.- 10. Khrushchev's Policy Toward China and the Honeymoon of the Alliance, 1954-1956.- 11. The Twentieth CPSU Congress and the Eighth CCP Congress, 1956.- 12. The Polish and Hungarian Crises and CCP Political Support for Khrushchev, 1956-1957.- 13. Mao, Khrushchev, and the Moscow Conference, 1957.- 14. Differences over Domestic and Foreign Policies, 1957-1959.- Part III: From Split to Confrontation, 1959-1978.- 15. Open Struggles and a Temporary Truce, 1959-1961.- 16. The Collapse of Party Relations and the Deterioration of State Relations, October 1961-July 1964.- 17. Mao's Changing Perception of Internal Disturbances and External Threats, Mid-1963 to the End of 1964.- 18. The Schism in the International Communist Movement and the Collapse of the Alliance, 1965.- 19. The Breakdown of State Relations and the Sino-Soviet Military Confrontation, 1966-1973.- Part IV: The Road to "Normalization," 1979-1991.- 20. The Issue of "Normalization".- 21. Embarking on "Normalization".- 22. The Turning Point in "Normalization".