I’m finishing the last episode of S5 now, and I’ll be fully caught up on this series. Between Afghanistan and Cambodia, China’s willingness to play ball with the US and its agenda is frustrating to learn.
It leaves me wanting to learn more about the Sino/Soviet split. The way this division manifested really aligned China with some dark forces, it would seem.
I also imagine the process of “normalization” with the US plays a huge role in the way this history unfolds as well.
It makes me wonder what they knew about The Khmer Rouge’s operations. I was left with the impression, based on how the history was laid out, that China was aware of just how aggressive and bloody the Khmer Rouge’s policies were.
Something about that stretch of time between 79 and 89 seems to have resulted in a bunch of weird geopolitical stuff.
Need to finish this episode, I guess.
There were many faults in the USSR and the leadership of communist parties across the world ultimately being handed down from Moscow (this prevented a revolution in France in '68).
However, their lack of propensity for allowing fascists to take charge is not one of those failures. Only the revolutions that protect themselves can hope to win.
The fascists wouldn’t have been able to take charge since the country was already shut down by workers councils who declared they will fight against going back to capitalism. The USSR decided to punish the workers first and foremost.
That sounds exactly like every time the CIA leveraged existing economic issues in socialist countries to use their unionized labor movement as a way to overthrow them. Looking at history, those workers councils would not have been able to defend themselves against armed fascists, easily.
For all the faults of the USSR, I’m not convinced that defending socialist countries against fascism is a flaw it possessed.
Well they surely won’t be able if the USSR cracks down on them and lets the fash get away.