THEME 2 - Famine

Question 1

Causes of the Great Famine?

Answer 1

• Lysenkoism
• Lack of peasant motivation from losing their land for Communes
• Mao’s new targets were too ambitious as planners set them too high to appease Mao.
• Weather conditions = 1960 had a severe drought in China
• Many of the horrible conditions of China were hidden to Mao on his tour around China to try and show how it was working well,

Question 2

How did the famine impact Tibet?

Answer 2

25% of the Tibetan population died due to the famine.

Question 3

How many people died due to the famine?

Answer 3

30 - 50 million people

Question 4

Consequences during the famine?

Answer 4

Reports of cannibalism
- husbands sold their wives and children in return for food.

Question 5

How was the great famine solved?

Answer 5

1961 - massive grain imports given from Canada, USA and Australia.
- Communes broke up
- Deng Xiaoping returned to allow private land ownership to improve agricultural output

Question 6

Why did Mao dislike Deng’s solution to the great famine?

Answer 6

Mao was a ideologue and returning to private land ownership seemed to be a direct turn away from his communist aim.

Question 7

What was the emergency directive of November 1960?