PROJECT: Great Leap Forward

The rapid transformation of China’s vast population from a primarily agrarian economy into a modern communist society through the process of agriculturalization and industrialization.

Situation

  • After Mao Zedong established the ‘People’s Republic of China’ he famously announced: “The Chinese people have stood up.”
  • China was one of the world’s poorest countries and did not have an advanced economy.
  • China’s economy consisted solely of agricultural and farming skills.
  • Previously, China imported all of its industrial products that was needed from the Western World and Japan.

Objectives

  • China wanted to be self sufficient when producing industrial goods and completely independent from the Western World and Japan.
  • Establish China as a major economic power, no matter what the cost.
  • Mao Zedong wanted to transform China from a primarily agrarian economy into a modern communist society.

Assets

  • China had more than a million manual labourers.
  • Use agricultural goods to purchase power.
  • Support of the USSR

Strategy

  • China adopted the Soviet five-year methodology.
  • It used the USSR knowlege and support to enhance industrial plants and agricultural production.
  • China paid back the Russians with agricultural goods.
  • Using agriculture as the backbone of China, the great leap forward was attempted so big changes could occur.
  • Mao redistributed more than half of chinas property after the violent coup of “Ge Ming”, a revolt that allowed the peasants to expropriate landowners.
  • All properties had to be divided in equal measure to avoid the development of an upper class of farmers.
  • In order to create an equal society, communes were established in 1958. This system applies all over China.
  • China set up approximately 25,000 communes, with 5,000 households each.

Actions

  • The people’s ‘Republic of China’ was established on October 1, 1949 by Mao Zedong.
  • 1953 -1958, Mao Zedong introduced the five-year methodology.
  • 1960 - 1962, World’s biggest famine.
  • In 1962, Deng Xiaoping became the reformist leader of China.
  • 1966 -76 Mao Zedong set up a cultural revolution.
  • Mao Zedong dies along with the cultural revolution in 1976.

Effect

  • The GLF was a huge disaster, resulting in the Great Famine.
  • To surpass industrial difficulties, Mao called on every labourer to produce steel by building blast furnaces on each farm instead of cultivating their fields to bring in the much-needed crops.
  • The expected great leap forward ended with fallow fields and no crops.
  • The clearest and most significant result was the death of millions of people. Some historians estimated 30 million deaths, most of them very young children.

 






Share on Facebook Share on twitter Email

Comments

login or sign up to comment...

Project info

Projectnr

GLF

Year

1958 - 1963

Description

Transformation from an agrarian economy into a modern communist society through the process of agricultural and industrial collectivization.

Effect

Severe famine and devastated economy.

Scale

xl

Actors

Mao Zedong, Government of the People’s Republic of China.

Communist political propaganda in China

Agriculture production propaganda