7 - The Aftermath of the Great Leap Forward Flashcards
In this chapter you will learn about: -the results of the Great Leap Forward for the Chinese people -how far the failure of the Great Leap forward weakened Mao's position -how this failure caused divisions within the Communist Party over the future direction of economic planning -the growing power struggle within the Communist Party
How many people died as a result of the famine of 1959-1962 in the aftermath of the Great Leap Forward
20 mil
How many fewer children were born in the period 1959-1962? Why did this happen?
- 15mil
- women were to weak to conceive
Where was the famine of the Great Leap Forward worst?
Rural areas
What percentafe of Tibets population died in the famine?
20%
Name three provinces where the provincial Party had most enthusiastically promoted the Great Leap Forward?
- Anhui
- Henan
- Sichuan
What happened in the provinces of Anhui, Henan and Sichuan?
1/4 of the population died
What was the situation in Beijing after the Great Leap Forward?
The annual death rate increased by 250% (1959-1962)
What began to reappear during the famine years?
- prostitution
- banditry
Who committed the worst crimes of armed robbery, rape and murder?
Militia units that had been established for self-defence in Henan
Where was the PLA deployed to put down armed rebellions?
- Sichuan
- Xizang
- other Western provinces
Why were the labour camps extended?
To accommodate the many peasants trying to cultivate food for themselves or hide food destined to be requisitioned by the government for city dwellers
What was the situation by the early 1960s? Why was this surprising?
- Chinese government was having to import food
- ran contrary to the self-reliance the Great Leap Forward was supposed to create
How much wheat was imported in 1961? From where?
- 6 million tonnes
- Canada and Australia
- indirectly from the USA
When did China stop having to import food?
1970s
Are there any positives in the Great Leap Forward?
- mass mobilisation of labour on large-scale irrigation projects did bring the possibility of development to previously infertile regions
- Tiananmnen Square was created
- Beijing experienced radical redevelopment
- China began to develop nuclear weapons
When did China test its first atomic bomb?
1964
What happened in December 1958? Who was he replaced by?
- Mao stepped down as Chairman (Head of State) of the PRC
- Lui Shaoqi
Mao had stepped down but was he relinquishing power?
No
- he still retained his positions of:
- -Chairman of the CPC
- -Chairman of the Military Affairs Commission
Why did Mao step down?
Relieving himself of the day to day running of the country so he could focus more on ideological matters
Who didn’t share Mao’s optimism and belief in the power of mass mobilisation?
Other senior members of the Communist Party
Why didn’t the other senior members say anything?
They were too afraid to openly challenge him
Peng returned to his birth place in early 1959. What did he see?
- first hand effects of village poverty/ food shortages
- as Defence Minister he knew that military transport was being used to take food relief to the worst hit areas
When was the next meeting of the Central Committee of the Party? Where was it held? What happened?
- July 1959
- Lushan
- Peng wrote a ‘letter of opinion’ to Mao putting forth his views on the GLF
What did Peng’s ‘letter of opinion’ say?
- praised the overall achievements
- criticised specific things
- argued it was correct in theory but flawed in practice
- he did not exempt Mao from criticism
