the second five year plan (great leap forward) Flashcards
when was great leap forward launched
8th party congress may 1958
why was second 5 year plan not really a plan
as economic planning had moved from the state to the party as it didn’t involve planners creating targets
rather it was left to initative of local cadres
meaning target were constantly revised upwards by Mao and is propaganda or by officials trying to create a good impression
Mao’s reason and motive for launching GLF
economic case, industrialisation depended on agriculture becoming more productive and efficient to feed workforce as it it would free peasants to move to the city. as early signs of agriculture improvement Mao accelerated industry
political, motivated by Khrushchev stating they would take overtake USA industrial production Mao told party we must start technological revolution so that we can overtake Britain in 15 years or more
personal, confidence was high as collectivisation was achieved, his provincial tour was a success and local cadres wanted to prove themselves. all of this gave Mao ambition to advance with more ambitious schemes.
ideological, relied on mass peasant mobilisation fitted with Mao’s thinking and greater degree of decentralisation to give locals initiative to thrive.
What were main plans to achieve GLF
decentralisation
backyard furnaces
why and what did CCP decentralise
decentralised economic activity
to give more freedom to local party officials
to harness the energy of the masses
Mao was convinced that state bureaucrats held back pace of change, if China was to advance it would need cadres to unleash potential of peasants
what where Backyard furnaces and why did Mao believe they would work?
Mao wanted to quadruple steel production to 20 million tonnes per annum
every family was urged to construct their own backyard furnace and melt down any available metal objects to produce steel.
it became a national phenom, by October 1958 49% of steel production was from backyard furnaces around 1/4 population abandoned normal work to work on backyard furnaces.
What was the impact of backyard furnaces
strained food production as peasants where occupied, leading to shock brigades to boost harvest (great famine)
Closed schools
by spring 1959, party realised that steel that was produced in backyard furnaces was rubbish, so campaign was cut back for ideological reasons
peasants who continued with furnaces would have their produce taken away and buried
negative ecological consequences e.g. woodland was destroyed to use as fuel which lead to faster soil erosion and worse flooding
When was all industry nationalised and what were they now called
early 1956
now known as state-owned enterprise
impact of state owned enterprise
prices, output targets an wages were set by the state, system was therefore inefficient because removed incentives and resulted in demotivation as workers were all paid the same. productivity therefore declined as surplus was taken by state with no extra payment
no bargaining power for better wages
workers did have some benefit such as guaranteed jobs, wages, medical and educational benefits
history of construction projects during GLF
water conservancy project had gave Mao impression that the masses was China’s main asset and results did not require advanced machinery
new irrigation schemes were a complete disaster e.g. three gate gorge dam, within a year was being rebuilt by 1961 2x as much mud was being deposited downstream
While small irrigation projects successful the costs of lives lost and labour taken away from farming was damaging.
plus irrigation projects lead to increase in build up of salt in soil which reduces its fertility
methods by soviet specialists where only taken seriously if speeded up process of flood control and irrigation schemes not if technical issues presented possible delays
success of GLF
increases in output of raw material e.g coal 1957 131 million tones 1962 180 million tonnes
oil increase more than 3x by end of period
steel 5.4 million tonnes to 8 million tonnes
small scale irrigation projects
Tiananmen square remodelled, propaganda success as it was bigger than red square in Moscow
ideological success, private ownership banned, peasants lived communally, society more communist than ever before
developed nuclear weapons
Failures of GLF
limited production of manufactured goods,
millions worked to death or starved
Three gate gorge dam caused environmental impacts worsening great famine
by 1962 industrial production had declined by 40% compared to 1958-59 levels
no scientific or technical knowledge and he relied on masses as substitute for planning
quality control terrible China had to replace exportation orders frequently hurting their reputation as a trading partner
