Peaceful coexistence was a theory developed during the Cold War among Communist states that they could peacefully coexist with capitalist states. This was in contrast to theories, such as those implied by some interpretations of antagonistic contradiction, that Communism and capitalism could never exist in peace. However it was interpreted differently by the USSR and the People's Republic of China, the two dominant states in the Communist world. The Cold War (Russian: Холодная война Kholodnaya Voina) was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their military alliance partners. ... This article is about one-party states governed by Communist parties. ... In economics, a capitalist is someone who owns capital, presumably within the economic system of capitalism. ... Antagonistic contradiction is the impossibility of compromise between different social classes. ...

The Soviet Union applied it to relations between the industrialized world and in particular the United States and NATO countries and the nations of the Warsaw Pact. NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[1] (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ... Unofficial Seal of the Warsaw Pact Distinguish from the Warsaw Convention, which is an agreement among airlines about financial liability. ...

During the 1960s and early 1970s, China applied it to relations between itself and non-socialist countries in the developing world while it argued that a belligerent attitude should be maintained towards imperialist countries. However, in the early 1980s, China extended the peaceful coexistence concept to include all nations. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Imperialism is the policy of extending the control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct territorial or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ...

Debates over differing interpretations of peaceful coexistence were one aspect of the Sino-Soviet split in the 1950s and 1960s. The Sino-Soviet split was a major diplomatic conflict between the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), beginning in the late 1950s, reaching a peak in 1969 and continuing in various ways until the late 1980s. ... The 1950s were the decade that traditionally speaking, spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ...

More recently, the phrase has gained currency beyond its usage in Communist phraseology and has been adopted by the broader diplomatic world. For instance, in his 2004 Christmas address, Pope John Paul II called for "peaceful coexistence" in the Middle East [1] . Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef Wojtyła [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

Soviet policy

Khrushchev promoted the concept beginning in 1953 in an attempt to reduce hostility between the two superpowers particularly in light of the possibility of nuclear war. The theory of peaceful coexistence promoted by the Soviet Union asserted that the two superpowers (the USA and USSR) and their ideologies could co-exist together, without war (peacefully). Khrushchev tried to demonstrate his commitment to peaceful coexistence by attending international peace conferences, such as the Geneva Summit, and by travelling internationally, such as his trip to America's Camp David in 1959. The World Peace Council founded in 1949 and largely funded by the Soviet Union attempted to organize a peace movement in favour of the concept internationally. (Russian: , Nikita Sergeevič Hruščëv; surname commonly romanized as Khrushchev, IPA: ; April 17, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was the leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... Nuclear War is a card game designed by Douglas Malewicki, and originally published in 1966. ... The Geneva Summit was an international summit meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, July 18-23, 1955. ... Main Lodge at Camp David during Nixon administration, February 9, 1971. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The World Peace Council (or World Council of Peace) was formed in 1949 in order to promote peaceful coexistence and nuclear disarmament. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The concept was meant to assuage western concerns that the Soviet Union was driven by the concept of world revolution which had been advocated by Lenin and the Bolsheviks. Khrushchev argued that while socialism would eventually triumph over capitalism this would occur without war which was neither necessary nor inevitable. World revolution is a Marxist concept of a violent overthrow of capitalism that would take place in all countries, although not necessarily simultaneously. ... Lenin redirects here. ... Leaders of the Bolshevik Party and the Communist International, a painting by Malcolm McAllister on the Pathfinder Mural in New York City and on the cover of the book Lenin’s Final Fight published by Pathfinder. ... For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ... The United States detonated an atomic bomb over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. ...

It seems reasonable to assume that the concept was a reaction to the realisation that a nuclear war would ensure the destruction of the socialist system and the annihilation of the Soviet Union itself. It was also reflected in the USSR's strategic military disposition - the move away from large (and possibly offensive) military forces towards a force centred on a strategic nuclear missile force. Although disquiet over this shift helped bring Khrushchev down, his successors did not return to the Stalinist theories of an inevitable conflict between the imperialist and socialist systems. Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. ... Imperialism is the policy of extending the control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct territorial or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries. ...

Chinese policy

Premier Zhou Enlai of the People's Republic of China proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in 1953 during negotiations with India over Tibet and these were written into the Agreement Between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of India on Trade and Intercourse Between the Tibet Region of China and India signed in 1954 by Zhou and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru. The priniciples were reiterated by Zhou at the Bandung Conference of Asian and African countries where they were incorporated into the conference declarations. One major consequence of this policy was that the PRC would not support Communist insurgencies in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, and would distance itself from overseas Chinese in those nations. A premier is an executive official of government. ... This is a Chinese name, Zhou is the surname. ... The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence or Pancha Sila (also spelled Panch Sila or Panchsheel) are a series of agreements between the Peoples Republic of China and India. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... This article is becoming very long. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... Jawaharlal Nehru (जवाहरलाल नेहरू, Javāharlāl Nehrū) (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964), also called Pandit (Scholar, Teacher) Nehru, was one of the most important leaders of the Indian Independence Movement and, as the head of the Indian National Congress, became the first Prime Minister of India when India won its... The Bandung Conference was a meeting of Asian and African states, most of which were newly independent, organized by Egypt, Indonesia, Burma, Ceylon(Sri Lanka), India, and Pakistan. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Asian people. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... Overseas Chinese (華僑 in Pinyin: Huáqiáo, or 華胞 huábāo, or 僑胞 qiáobāo, or 華裔 huáyì) are either ethnic Chinese or people of the Chinese nation (Zhonghua minzu) who live outside of China. ...

However, Maoist doctrine continued to emphasise the survivability of any conflict between the imperialist and socialist world systems - the Chinese continued to advocated a stronger form of the campist theory of global politics than that approved in the USSR. Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893–1976). ...

With Mao's death the Chinese softened their line, though would never endorse the views of their rivals. During the late 1970s and 1980s, the concept of peaceful coexistence was expanded as a framework for all sovereign nations. In 1982 the Five Principles were written into the Constitution of the People's Republic of China which claims to be bound by them in its international relations. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as promoted by China are:

• mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity
• mutual non-aggression
• non-interference in each other's internal affairs
• equality and mutual benefit
• peaceful co-existence

There are three notable consequences of the Chinese concept of peaceful coexistence. First of all, in contrast with the Soviet concepts of the mid-1970s, the Chinese concepts include the encouragement of global free trade. Second, the Chinese concept of peaceful coexistence places a large emphasis on national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and thus moves by the United States to promote democracy and human rights are seen in this framework as hostile. Finally, as the PRC does not consider Taiwan to be sovereign, the concept of peaceful coexistence does not extend to Taiwan, and efforts by other nations, particularly the United States, to involve itself in PRC-Taiwan relations are seen as hostile actions in this framework. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ...

See also

• Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence