April 08, 2022

(Episode Swap) Sinobabble: The Third Front

39 minutes

In this episode we'll be discussing the Third Front, a covert industrialization campaign that took place between 1964 and 1972 in China's remote, mountainous interior. This little-discussed campaign actually formed a crucial part of China's Cold War policy strategy, and despite its clandestine nature cost billions of yuan in resource and personnel allocation, as well as for construction and transportation. The Third Front was part of China's preparations for war with either the US, the Soviet Union, or their allies in the region, especially after the US joined the Vietnam War in mid-1964. Major industrial and military complexes were built in southwest, central-west, and northwestern provinces, which were also interconnected by new railway lines and powered by grand hydro-electric dams.

In the end, the Third Front fizzled out, especially after the relationship between China and the US improved, Minister of Defence Lin Biao passed away, and particularly after the death of Mao Zedong. Many of the projects remained uncompleted, with others suffering from the pains of rushed construction, rendering them useless in the long-run. Despite its short run however, the Third Front did have have a major impact on China's economics and politics during the 60s and 70s, and deserves our attention as an important factor in China's Cold War policy formation. It also gives us another lens through which to view Chinese history, one which relies less on social history and a Maoist lens, and takes into consideration external factors that caused major shifts in the sentiments of the CCP leadership even during major domestic events such as the Cultural Revolution.

Sinobabble - https://www.sinobabble.com/

Episode 35 with Edi - https://www.podcasttheway.com/l/china/

Don't forget to check out "Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China" by Covell Meyskens, which you can purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maos-Third-Front-Militarization-China/dp/1108489559

NB: About 4 minutes in I accidentally say Gansu twice - I meant to say Guizhou the first time and Gansu the second!

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