The Great Leap Forward

The Socialist Transformation of the Economy Rural 1953 Mutual aid teams - suit strong and able 1954 Cooperatives – pay partly for labour 1956 Collectivisation – pay wholly for labour Urban Businesses first become partly state owned Then merged into huge collectives Household registration established

I remember how at the beginning when we organised the Old and Young Mutual Aid group, among the ten households who took part five were children and four were old hired workers. It was really difficult at that time! The young couldn't draw a bow and the old couldn't ride a horse, but we all settled down to it. Not only did we cultivate the land well, but we also trained up many people

When the production conditions took a turn for the better, the next step was for Chen Yonggui to put forward his plan for advance on three fronts: 1. Reorganise the land to prepare to plant wheat. 2. Cut grass and clear land as a basis for next years production. 3. Bake bricks and prepare lime to repair the cave dwellings.

Let a hundred flowers bloom! Effort to improve relations with intellectuals Needed for Soviet-style planned economy Call for criticisms → torrent of grievances → Anti-Rightist campaign Those who made criticisms imprisoned and many more Results Worse relations with intellectuals Increased fear of the state

The Great Leap Forward Mass mobilisation as an alternative to the Soviet-style planned economy Huge projects: irrigation, steel production, scientific agriculture Results Urbanisation Neglect of agriculture → FAMINE

Vigorously develop the movement to increase production and economize with grain and steel at the centre

A strong force against disaster Ever more quickly increase production and raise the standard of living

Famine Causes Results Grain production declined Waste of food Inflated statistics Results Perhaps 10 million people died mostly in the countryside It was worst in the most radical provinces

Long term results Loss of legitimacy for the Communist Party Mao Zedong lost prestige among the top leaders The bureaucracy became more frightened and more politicised But also set the stage for the 1980s reforms of agriculture