The great leap forward

1. The Great Leap Forward
or
The Great Leap Backward?
What was the Truth?
And How can we Tell?

2. The Main Aim:
C.To Modernize China?
OR
B. To Secure Mao’s Leadership?

3. 2 Chinese Approaches to the
Great Leap
The Maoists
- Led by Mao
- called the Reds
- ideologues
- Believed that the revolutionary zeal of the masses needed to be
harnessed to effect modernization.
“ Principle of putting politics in command; a spirit of self-reliance and
hard struggle”

4. Or
2. The Experts
- led by Liu and Deng
- believed that China needed expertise and
technology to develop and modernise

5. How was the Great Leap Started?
Mao launched the “100 Flowers Bloom and 100
Schools of Thought contend” campaign.
Where people were encouraged to write dazibao (big
character posters) which showed their dissatisfaction with
the current policies of the government.

6. The outcome ? Mao identified
people who opposed the regime?
Many were arrested and the Great Leap was
launched.

7. How the Great Leap Started
•The Great leap in Agriculture
–As the main industry it was necessary to do first
–Involved moving from collectives to communes
–Model commune of Tachai

8. Why ?
Provide
employment for
masses – ie
mobilise them
Provide food for
China
Control families?
As people lived
in communes, not
family groups
Vehicle of
political
education

9. “Amid fierce struggles between the proletariat and
bourgeoisie, between the socialist and capitalist roads
and between the Marxist and revisionist lines, this
brigade has opened an avenue to the development of
socialist agriculture through self-reliance and arduous
struggle with greater, fast, better and more economical
results.” Tachai, the Red Banner, p.1

10. Stage 2. The Great leap in
Industry
•Developing Chinese industry through
communes and production quotas.
•City equivalents to communes

11. Problems
Quotas too high
Backyard furnaces
– sacrificed quality
for quantity
Emphasis on
employment of
masses; not expertise
Families disrupted
as people shifted to
the jobs

12. What went wrong?
•Bad harvests due to weather conditions
•Withdrawal of Russian aid
•No other external help – policy of self
reliance

13. The Impact – hard to evaluate
An American Journalist:
Joseph Alsop reported in
September, 1961:
[the average Chinese]
was being compelled
to live on a diet of no
more than 600 calories
of food intake a day…
the population of
China is starving”
Letter to New York Herald
Tibune by Sybil
Cookson:
•…Joseph Alsop’s
report…is quite contrary
to our impression formed
in China…we were
allowed to travel where
we desired. Nowhere did
we see any signs of
[discontent] much less of
famine, despite a
disappointing harvest.

14. The Effect
•The Experts were able to assume more
importance
•Mao was given an honorary title but
effectively had his power limited.
•For a short while China moved away from
being Red towards being Expert.