Great Leap Forward

The Great Leap Forward

Summary: 

From 1958-61, Mao implemented an economic and social reform known as the Great Leap Forward. The goal was to utilize China's manpower, stemming from a massive population, to convert the economy from an agriculturally based one, to a more industrialized, modernist society. 

Mao based this policy off of Theory of Productive Forces, which emphasized productivity and technical progress in a de facto Socialist society. In other words, progress was a priority over actual Socialist policies, and that this technical progress could catalyze social change. Mao introduced gradual, mandatory agricultural collectivization. Private farming was outlawed. 

Farm workers showed working on a collective farm. 

Chinese Peasant family showed during the Famine eating in a communal dining space. Such communes were common during the Great Leap. 

Cause: 

After the defeat of the KMT, there was a need to exact a policy of wealth redistribution. The best way, they theorized, was for government to control agriculture in order to monopolize distribution and supply. In order to raise funds for their industrial ambitions, the Communist government bought the crops at a low price and sold them at a much higher one, all in an effort to fund industrial projects needed to modernize China.

Effect:

This put an immense strain on the economy. People were unable to buy crops, farming efficiency and yield dropped dramatically. Food shortages ensued, leading to a great Famine, and the death toll of this effort reached anywhere from 18-32 million. Part of this was due to coercion and terror when policies were not followed. The economy showed initial signs of growth. Iron production grew, but then plummeted after only a few years. Destruction of real estate and private property was another major part of the policy.  Several resistance efforts were quashed, but the vandalism and violence aided in destabilizing China.