1. Social and Economic Consequences of the GLF
Using p of the AQA textbook, add any further notes about the consequences of the GLF to your handout
Ext. Task – ‘For Mao, political considerations were always more important than economic development.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement
Social and Economic Consequences of the GLF
Handout of slides 2-5

2. Results of the GLF - Industry
Having thousands of small factories was wasteful and inefficient. Most of the steel produced in ‘backyard’ furnaces was rubbish
Furnaces took too much of the country’s coal supply and trains could not operate
Party workers urged people to work faster and produce more steel to make themselves look good – this meant machines broke down and workers fell asleep at machines

3. Results of the GLF - Agriculture
Food production slumped because too many peasants had moved into industry
By 1961, China was having to import grain and impose rationing. Bad farming methods, floods and droughts caused bad harvests for three years
The harvest of 1960 was reduced by 144 million tonnes due to the GLF. Between , as many as million Chinese starved to death

4. Results of the GLF - Communes
Most proved too large to be run efficiently as they were hurriedly constructed by Party cadres keen to impress
Peasants resented the loss of private plots and the attack on family life
Members could not own private property, all received the same wages and families were broken up. This meant that members had no incentive to work hard and production actually fell

5. Social consequences of the GLF:
Prostitution and banditry reappeared along with more cases of rape and murder
People continued to die after the Great Leap as a result of ‘years of malnutrition.’ (Spence)
saw 15million fewer children being born due to women being too weak to conceive
Social consequences of the GLF:

6. What were the consequences of the failure of the GLF?
Worksheet to complete – linking activity
LO: to examine the political consequences of the failure of the GLF

7. What might be the political consequences of this for Mao?
Social
Economic
Great famine killed between 30 – 50 million
1960 = 15 million fewer children were born due to weak women after famine
Prostitution & banditry rife again
Industrial production fell
Most of what was created in backyard furnaces = rubbish
Communes in rural and urban areas were inefficient as no-one had the incentive to work hard
What might be the political consequences of this for Mao?
Consequences
Just for your notes, highlighting the key Social and economic consequences for the boys and get them to think about what the political consequences are going to be

8. Political Consequences:
Mao had stepped down as President of the PRC in Dec 1958 but he remained Chairman of the Party (a vital role). He had long talked of his wish to retire to the ‘second front’. He was not relinquishing control but simply passing over the day to day running of the country:
China was now run by these three leading Communists:
Liu Shaoqi became president of the PRC
Zhou Enlai = Prime Minister
Deng Xiaoping = General Secretary of the CCP
Political Consequences:
Give them handout slide 9 – they can annotate with this info

9. Consequences of the GLF
After the GL ended China was now controlled by 3 leading communists:
President, Liu Shaoqi
Prime Minister, Zhou Enlai
The CCP General Secretary, Deng Xiaoping
They abandoned the GLF by closing down ‘backyard’ factories, returning workers to farming, giving private land back to farmers and reducing communes to one-third of original size

10. The Lushan Conference: July 1959
When Mao launched the GLF in 1958 it was clear that not all senior members of the Communist Party shared his optimism but no-one dared to openly challenge him.
In 1959 when it began to appear that the propaganda claims masked an impending disaster, Mao faced his first serious challenge:
Peng Dehuai
Read pp ‘The Purge of Peng Dehuai’.
Summarise Mao’s reasons for purging Peng
The Lushan Conference: July 1959
Purge of Peng Dehui & Lushan Conference of use AQA books
--> Big message - early on in GLF, Mao remains unchallenged / fearful
See Ed’s PPT slides for this – put them in?

11. Was Peng’s downfall a defining moment?
Yes:
Now no-one, even top officials could in any way criticise Mao.
Mao called for a ‘Second Great Leap’ in 59-60, and so an opportunity to correct a failing policy was missed
No:
Mao’s influence after 1962 was diminishing
Lui Shaoqui remained President & by 1961 there were signs that the Communist Party was rethinking their flawed economic policies.
Was Peng’s downfall a defining moment?