Cold War: Great Leap Forward

Question 1

Make China Stronger (5)

Answer 1

China had been disadvantaged by years of war and famine:

• Large country
• 90% were peasants who lived under landlords
• Foreigners owned much of the industry
• Hyperinflation, black market, gangs
• Mao wanted to bring about change, planned to be ruthlessly efficient.

Question 2

Problems in the Manchu Dynasty

Answer 2

Emperors were weak leaders which had a trickle-down to government.
Heavy taxes
Large wealth gap between rich and poor
Corrupt politicians
Foreign countries had large SOI’s in China

Question 3

Mass Line

Answer 3

Program of contact with the people:
Investigate living conditions
Learn about the struggles
Gather ideas
Create a plan based on ideas

Question 4

Economic Focus

Answer 4

Planned economy for China
Industrialisation program for China
Two bombs, one satellite

Question 5

Agricultural Economic Focus

Answer 5

Land and tax reform for the peasants

Revolution of the peasants - 2 million landlords killed by 1952 and land is claimed

Question 6

Industrial Economic Focus

Answer 6

Needed to produce coal, iron and steel
Nationalisation of heavy industry and foreign firms
Industries grew quickly but not fast enough
Sought aid and assistance from the USSR

Question 7

Treaty of Friendship

Answer 7

1950 - USSR agrees to build 300 industrial plants in 15 years
$300 million loan

Question 8

Economic Policies from 1955

Answer 8

1957 - Peasants had handed land over to the state
Now worked on large co-ops
More food needed for rapidly growing population

Question 9

China by 1957

Answer 9

Strong government (no opposition)
Developed industries and built defences
Revolution of the peasants
More food, higher life expectancy. Literacy rates increased greatly under CCP. Equality of women (education)

Question 10

The Great Leap Forward (1958 - 1962)

Answer 10

A socioeconomic plan to transform China’s agrarian society culture towards an industrialised one through rapid collectivisation and industrialisation.

Second Five Year Plan:

• Pace was too slow, inefficient
• People could produce steel in their backyards, each area grew its own food and provided for their own people

Goals:

1. Create an industrialised economy that could keep up with the West
2. Transform China into a collectivised society where socialism became a lifestyle.

Question 11

The Communes

Answer 11

Farms joined together to create communes:

• 30000 people lived in one
• Health clinics, cinemas, nurseries
• Own factories and shops - made their own tools
• Roads and dams constructed
• Communal habitation centres
• Slept in unisex dorms and ate meals together in canteens
• Mao believed that people would eventually enjoy this way of life and see the benefits of working for the benefit of others.

Question 12

Results of the GLF

Answer 12

9 million starved to death in 1960 alone

Rationing introduced - 20 million dead from starvation to disease

Question 13

What went wrong (3)

Answer 13

1. Natural disaster affected harvests
   - 1960 North drought, South flood. Yellow River dried up
2. 1960 - 1964 Soviets recall scientists
   - Factories left uncompleted
   - Khrushchev heavily disapproved of the GLF and called it a “dangerous experiment”
3. Mao’s leadership
   - Too ambitious, didn’t have practical plans or solutions to problems that arose during the GLF