The Second Five Year Plan (The Great Leap Forward) Flashcards
What were the aims of the Second Five Year Plan?
To transform China into an industrialised nation in record time.
What is meant by ‘walking on two legs’?
Two legs refer to industry and agriculture. It means increasing agricultural and industrial production at the same time.
Why did Mao launch the Second Five Year Plan?
Mao was optimistic as industrial production increased by 18.3 %. HE believed he could improve agriculture. Mao wanted to overtake the USSR who declared they would overtake USA.
What were the successes of the Second Five Year Plan?
Land became more fertile through irrigation schemes.
Construction projects were more successful.
Why did the Second Five Year Plan fail?
Targets were too high. Ainti-rightest campaign meant there was no intellectuals or experts to give advice. Steel was too low quality from backyard furnaces. Too many people were working the furnaces so food was left to rot and wasted. Many factories closed due to lack or raw materials. The conspiracy of silence (Peng Dehuai). Lysenkoism.
Find some data to illustrate the failure of the Second Five Year Plan.
Grain output of rice fell from 86.80 million metric tonnes in 1957 to 53.60 million tonnes in 1961.
Industrial output fell from 121 billion yuan in 1958 to 94 billion yuan in 1962.
