5T’s Chinese RevolutionSocialism and the Great Leap Forward

Introduction

In 1958, China, the communist country was undergoing a social

change. Lead by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, there was a massive social revolution with the intention of increasing the economy of China. It was known as the ‘Great Leap Forward’, and was seen as a way for China to become the greatest country in the world. However it ended in catastrophe, and the deaths of around 30 million people. This was due to a large famine which swept through the country, killing very many. After this, Mao was criticized and forced to take a more marginal role in China’s politics. The country would never be the same again.

Mao ZedongBorn in 1893 to a rich farming father,

Mao adopted a socialist view in early life,

helping to found the Chinese Communist

party. In 1921. By 1945 he was chairman

and had specific views on the changes

China should go through, which he

showed in ‘The Great Leap Forward’.

However following its catastrophic

outcome Mao adopted a more marginal

in the country, until the ‘Cultural

Revolution.’

SocialismThere are many different types of socialism, but generally it is

the economic concept of social/state ownership and the management of the economy co-operatively. This loosely translated into English means that there are no privately run companies or enterprises, and no profit is handled by just one person. In China Mao incorporated a fairly simple version of this; for example he banned private farming – all crops harvested were collected and distributed evenly. Socialism also shares the view of equal opportunity for all, and was believed to be first incorporated by Karl Marx, who opposed the capitalist running of Europe.(Hence it is also known as Marxism.)

The Great Idea?In 1958 Mao initiated an idea for the growth of the economy of

China. It was simple – China was a majorly agricultural country at this point and Mao aimed to increase the output of raw material such as iron and steel, as well as collectivising all crops harvested. Soon, China’s steel output would surpass that of the UK. What could go wrong?

A lot. A vast of the new steel workers were inexperienced and the materials used to produce these metals was often weak and unsuitable for its purpose. On the agricultural side, people struggled to increase output because of their poor treatment by the companies owning the land.

The good…. 1958 saw an increase in the production of resources such as

grain, wool, iron and steel. However this was mainly due to the perfect weather and new machines.

Elderly people were moved into ‘happy houses’ where the living conditions were almost definitely better than their previous accommodation.

Health care was greatly improved, at the communes. Many more were employed into new jobs working the

machines and working at the communes, which were government funded and provided food for the entire population.

And the bad…. The weather of 1959, and the years following, was not as

ideal and many experienced floods, droughts and famine as a result of this.

The machines which had promised so much in 1958 began to fall apart, producing much worse quality material.

As the campaign began to fail, the workers were asked more and more and failed to keep up with the rising demands. If commune leaders refused a difficult task they were ‘bourgeois reactionaries and were sent to jail.

Forced labour began to occur, as well as ‘struggle sessions’, where people accused of committing crimes were subject to abuse until they admitted to their actions.

The long term effectsFollowing the catastrophic effects of the Great Leap Forward,

Mao was criticized by his peers and was forced to step down as chairman. Mao even admitted that the disaster was his fault, saying ‘Comrades, you must analyse your own responsible. If you have to fart, fart. You will feel much better for it.’

China went into a state of recovery, and three moderates were promoted to govern the country. They reenlisted private farming and communes were made smaller. However many villages which had relied on the private grain were left in poverty and the population greatly decreased.