Although your argument is an oversimplification of what actually happened. The technical help the USSR provided China from 1953-1961 was very important, this is undeniable. However, your description suggests this was some sort of humanitarian mission by the Soviet Union when it was to both China and the USSR strategic advantage during the Cold War. Losing territory the size of Outer Mongolia was a tragedy for China's strategic position far more devastating than technical assistance that lasted less than 10 years. China paid for all the technical assistance, it wasn't gifted. As the Sino-Soviet Split was starting, China exported 2.9 million tons and 4.1 million tons of grain in 1958 and 1959 respectively, to the USSR as payment for its Soviet debt incurred by the technical assistance. This is a total of 7 million tons of grain, over 5% of China's total annual grain production at that time, which was enough food to feed around 30 million people for an entire year at that time. Do you notice any similarity between when this grain was exported to the USSR for debt repayment and when the famine in China of 1959-61 occurred?Don't be an ingrate in this world. Given credit where credit is due.
The old Imperial Russia gave Manchu "China" nothing and took everything.
But the USSR "gave" the PRC a great deal - from technology to text books. Yes text books! I didn't know the text books I studied off were Russian/USSR in origin until my dad set me straight.
Yes, Stalin engineered Outer Mongolia's breakaway. And Brezhnev even planned to nuke China. But does Mao's one-minded craziness not factor in? Will getting Outer Mongolia "back" solve China's problems?
It's not about what you "lost", it's about what you have. And about who helped you and when in making the most of what you have.
Your obvious advocacy of Christianity, as in your own words "actively deny the Grace of the Higher Authority", doesn't necessarily result in secular societies once any single religion gains overwhelming prominence. The only reason secularism has become the norm in "Western" christian nations is because those countries have high percentages of atheists and the believers live hypocritical lives contrary to true believers of a higher authority. I think your reference to FLG here is naively misplaced. This is a "religion" created in the 1990s and has large quantities of pseudo-science as part of its ideology. This has resulted in many deaths of FLG followers due to their adherence to FLG spiritual healing where they refuse medicine that could have saved their lives. The CCP government is correct in labeling it a cult. Comparing true religions like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc to FLG (FaLun Gong) is a joke. China welcomes religion, it doesn't welcome cults, especially cults that are financed by hostile foreign powers intent on subversion.BTW, as much as USSR's industrialization was "historically determined" and "necessary", Stalin's was not the only way ... but that's another topic.
It's a tragedy that so many PRC "cyber patriots" actively deny the Grace of the Higher Authority and take pride in (what they think are) atheism. Take note that militant, state-backed atheism was and is not a necessary pre-requisite for industrialization. Secondly, atheism does not automatically engender self-reliance and conversely, believing in a higher authority does not mean sitting there and waiting for "manna" ... in the sense of "modernization" of a nation and bringing science and "enlightenment" to a people!
Granted, I see the problems China would face today if the rulers suddenly renounced "official atheism", and everything from FLG to Christian Zionism to Talibanism to New-age Taosim to most backward superstitions will try to carve out a niche, with visible and unseens hands pulling strings backstage.
To a limited extent, that's already happening ...
But all in all, atheism is but a means to an end. But something else might just be the end unto itself.
Men with organized religion grew haughty, and they were humbled. Men with enforced atheism grow haughty, the humbling will come as surely as night follows day. The fall of USSR after 70 years was but one example.
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