Nixon’s Visit to China in 1972 (Coursework Sample)

NIXON’S VISIT TO CHINA IN 1972
Author’s Name
SISU 212: China, Japan, and United States
Date

Introduction
Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States of America (USA), was elected in 1969. The individual was determined to normalize the relationship between the USA and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Besides, the relationship between the USA, Soviet Union, and China had been deteriorating since the Second World War. Nixon engaged in a mission to develop a good relationship with PRC so that his country can attract the attention of the Soviet Union, which was another communist country. The paper focuses on the historical background behind Nixon’s visit to mainland China, primary actors in the event and their effects, and its characteristics. Additionally, it elaborates on the significance of the event to the USA’s domestic politics, the country’s interaction with other nations, and the legacy or impact that Nixon’s visit to PRC left.
Historical Factors or Backgrounds that Caused Nixon’s Visit to the PRC
President Nixon’s visit to the PRC was a well-calculated move that was meant to further weaken the relationship between two significant communists, namely China and the Soviet Union. He aimed to establish a strategic framework that was based on peaceful relations with China, stability in Asia, an honorable way to end the Vietnam War, and the relaxation of the Cold War tension between the USA and the Soviet Union. Before Nixon became the president of the USA, he was an anti-communist. He condemned Harry Truman’s Democratic Administration for allowing China to be highly influenced by Communists in 1949.
The Soviets knew that the USA was against communism and that communists supported the North Vietnamese regime. As such, Nixon surprised Americans when he announced his planned visit to China in 1972. After Mao Zedong’s communist revolution in 1949, the relationship between China and the USA was deteriorating while that of the PRC and Soviet Union was likely to have a strong foundation since both nations shared similar ideologies. In the early 1950s, the USA and Chinese troops attacked each other in Korea. Specifically, China supported North Vietnam during its war against the USA.
Additionally, Nixon knew that destroying the relationship between China and the Soviet Union would