1962 India-China war: Why India needed that jolt?

[lkozhi]

no article mentions why chinese went back. No one fights war for teaching some one a lesson. Chinese soldiers also died. Was it capture some dead barren lands?

 

[PlanetWarrior]

1962 was a f up for India. Nehru knew that Mao was a seasoned military strategist who commanded a disciplined and experienced army which worshipped Mao and the Chinese leadership. The Indian army on the other hand was undergoing transformation from a British Raj military to a Republic military and the independence leadership were putting in measures to contain the military thus creating a strained relationship. The stacks were weighed in favour of the Chinese from day one. But despite that, Mao was not interested in a war with India. History claims that he bent over backwards trying to appease the Indians. He couldn't understand why Nehru allowed protests in India over the Tibet issue. Nehru underestimated Mao and in turn Mao gave Nehru a bloody nose. China offcourse lost its long time ally Russia as a consequence of the war. The situation is simply that China had a more formidable military then and was blessed with strong and great leadership