The Great Leap Forward
en.wikipedia.org/glf
The Great Leap Forward took place in 1958, the aim was to develop the Chinese economy, that rivaled that of America. Mao planned to develop the country's agriculture and industry by 1988.
The plan was to place families in communes, to make everyone equal and to help develop the economy, as the people in the communes all worked in the same trade, such as farming. People gave up tools, money and animals etc. for the commune, this resulted in them working for the commune and not for their own profit. The people however didn't mind the commune system as free health care and schooling was provided, even for those who were once poor.
in the communes Mao encouraged families to have more children, with the average number of children raising from four to seven. With a larger population, Mao saw an opportunity to train more soldiers for a larger military force.
The plan was to place families in communes, to make everyone equal and to help develop the economy, as the people in the communes all worked in the same trade, such as farming. People gave up tools, money and animals etc. for the commune, this resulted in them working for the commune and not for their own profit. The people however didn't mind the commune system as free health care and schooling was provided, even for those who were once poor.
in the communes Mao encouraged families to have more children, with the average number of children raising from four to seven. With a larger population, Mao saw an opportunity to train more soldiers for a larger military force.
The consequences of The Great Leap Forward
In 1959 the plan started going wrong, the communes were required to complete tasks that were impossible and unrealistic. If a person in the commune complained about the tasks they face imprisonment.
The agricultural industry was hit with floods causing the crop to be ruined, resulting in the country only harvesting 170 million tonnes of grain, well below the minimum requirement. Many people starved due to the lack of grain the main ingredients in many foods. In 1960 is was recorded that nearly 9 million people died due to starvation.
The agricultural industry was hit with floods causing the crop to be ruined, resulting in the country only harvesting 170 million tonnes of grain, well below the minimum requirement. Many people starved due to the lack of grain the main ingredients in many foods. In 1960 is was recorded that nearly 9 million people died due to starvation.