Sarah Paine

But the Russians had a price.

Give the nationalists the aid, but the nationalists then have to let the communists into the nationalist party.

That's what the United Front is.

So this all coincides with a bitter succession struggle

in Russia.

This is the problem with dictatorships.

They really don't do succession well.

It's why elections are so convenient.

Instead, you have Stalin and Trotsky going at it of which one was going to be the big cheese.

Stalin is all about

socialism in one country.

He thinks that Russia ought to focus on its own internal development.

Whereas Trotsky says, nonsense, we need to focus on world revolution because only if there are sister revolutions abroad can ours survive.

So while this is all going on, the Chinese communists really want to get out of that united front.

Why?

Because it puts them in close proximity to the army, which is controlled by the nationalists.

And they're getting worried whether they're about to get killed.

And the Russians say, no, no, no, no, no.

It's good.

Good, good, good.