Mao, Stalin and the Korean War: Trilateral Communist Relations in the 1950s

This book examines the complex relationship between Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, and Kim Il-sung during the Korean War and its aftermath.

Drawing on Soviet diplomatic documents, Chinese archival materials, memoirs, and other sources, Shen Zhihua explores the motivations and decisions of the three Communist leaders, the origins of the Korean War, and the development of Sino-Soviet and Sino-North Korean relations.

The book offers a revisionist, realpolitik interpretation of the conflict and sheds light on the tensions within the Communist alliance that would later contribute to the Sino-Soviet split.