China, the Fun House Mirror: Soviet Reactions to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, 1966-1969

The early Soviet response to the Chinese Cultural Revolution was striking not only for its humor and creativity, but also for its spontaneity, the uncertainty of its implications, and for the remarkable snapshot it generated of Soviet identity. China not only brought out the patriotism of the regime's critics, but also the cynicism of its defenders, ultimately blurring the lines between the two and suggesting that neither "side" deliberately structured its response. What was most noteworthy about the reaction to the Cultural Revolution was the almost accidental unity it revealed. This paper explores how the Cultural Revolution opened the way for a widespread critique and mockery of an important socialist country, and thereby set a potentially destabilizing precedent.