Great Leap Forward

Question 1

Hu Feng affair

Answer 1

1955 - Hu Feng wrote the CCP were stifling creativity and art
was seen as counter-revolutionary and was imprisoned until ‘79
100 followers/students were arrested.

Question 2

when does ccp party congress remove maoist thought

Answer 2

september 1956
at CCP Party Congress, the Party Constitution is amended to remove the reference to Mao Zedong Thought. Mao withdraws from public life for 3 months

Question 3

1956 events in reference to 100 Flowers

Answer 3

attempted launch of 100 Flowers
“let 100 flowers blossom, let 100 schools of thought contend” - Confucius
HOWEVER - Politburo overruled Mao for the 1st time, they warned of the consequences

Question 4

How does Mao get the campaign sanctioned

Answer 4

in Spring - Mao tours China to key regions with party officials (Eg Manchuria, Shanghai, Yan’an) to meetings and lobbies local officials
= circumvents and marginalises the Politburo.
by april, the politburo officially sanctions the campaign

Question 5

when does 100 flowers officially start

Answer 5

May 1957
- rallies held.
- students create posters of imperial leaders, CKS and the japanese
- magazines had “special issues” passages
- new class of bourgeoisie CCP officials attacked
- criticisms of human rights abuses in Laogai
- Democracy Walls erected
= cautious response then a torrent ensued as people got braver = escalated

Question 6

summer 1957

Answer 6

student riots and attacks on CCP members
by June, Mao is ready to abandon the campaign, giving a speech that he wanted flowers but got “poisonous weeds”

Question 7

crackdown on 100 flowers

Answer 7

Anti-Rightist Campaign
full-scale counterattack where 500,000 intellectuals branded rightist and persecuted.

Question 8

Second Five Year Plan

Answer 8

1958
AGRICULTURAL
communes ordered to become centres of industrial and agricultural production
mass mobilisation
Four Pests Campaign (sparrow-cide)
INDUSTRIAL
steel production, backyard furnaces = pig iron

Question 9

social factor for women in GLF period

Answer 9

mass mobilisation campaigns were introduced to encourage women to attend evening classes = significant in literacy amongst women.

Question 10

when is peng dehuai purged

Answer 10

1959

Question 11

stat about steelmaking in the GLF

Answer 11

36% of all steelmaking capacity between 20 years was built in the GLF

Question 12

stat about infrastructural projects

Answer 12

1815 medium and large scale projects initiated

Question 13

100 flowers was A) Deliberate strategy to expose rightist opposition as a precursor to the GLF 4

Answer 13

• Historical context of political control. By ’56, the CCP had already conducted campaigns like the Anti-Rightist Campaign’s predecessor, the Suppression of Counterrevolutionaries. Seen as a continuation of this strategy to identify dissenters who might oppose later radical policies of the GLF, eliminating intellectuals who may speak out
• Mao makes alleged statements about “luring snakes out of their holes” , as well as 1957 speech about allowing “poisonous weeds” to reveal themselves, allowing the party to uproot them
• 100 Flowers lasted only from May-Jun 1957 before abruptly transitioning to the Anti-Rightist Campaign in June. The speed of the shift suggests the CCP was prepared to crack down on critics. Over 300,000 were labelled as rightists and persecuted, clearing the way for the GLF’s radical policies by removing critics
• Mao faced internal party tensions, particularly from moderates like Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi, who favoured gradual economic reforms. By exposing critics, Mao could weaken these factions and strengthen his position for the radical GLF. The campaign’s outcome consolidated Mao’s control, aligning with this strategic interpretation

Question 14

100 flowers was B) Genuine attempt to solicit constructive criticism, Mao surprised at extent and intensity of responses.

Answer 14

• In his Feb 1957 speech “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People” Mao explicitely called for open criticism to improve the CCP’s governance and address bureaucratic inefficiencies. He argued contradictions within society should be resolves through discussion, not suppression = suggests a genuine intent to solicit feedback
• Contextually, there was good reason to launch it rn. The mid 50s were a period of relative stability fo the CCP after the Korean war and land reforms. Mao may have believed the regime was secure enough to tolerate criticism and constructive suggestions.
• The Hundred Flowers Campaign coincided with Khrushchev’s 1956 “Secret Speech” denouncing Stalin, which prompted debates about liberalization in communist states. Mao may have genuinely sought to differentiate China’s socialism by encouraging open discussion, only to be surprised when criticisms echoed anti-communist sentiments

Question 15

when did the GLF end

Answer 15

1962

Question 16

hu feng

Answer 16

A Chinese literary critic, who followed a Marxist line, but refused to follow the CCP line in regards to
literature. He was regarded as a dangerous free-thinker.

1) In 1955, Hu Feng wrote that the CCP control over culture had stifled creativity and art. He was charged
with being a GMD agent, expelled from the writers union, and imprisoned until 1979.
2) The Party then conducted a campaign to irradicate ‘Hu Feng elements’ from intellectual life.

Question 17

consequences of the anti-hu feng campaign

Answer 17

1) By 1956, intellectuals learned that openly expressing their views was too dangerous.
2) Around 2,000 Hu Feng supporters were criticised by the media.
3) Around 100 Hu Feng supporters were arrested or forced to make self-criticisms.

Question 18

What steps were taken towards collectivisation in 1951?

Answer 18

Mutual-aid teams grouped together up to 10 peasant households to share labour, tools and animals. Only
poorer peasants were allowed to participate.

Question 19

What steps were taken towards collectivisation in 1952-53?

Answer 19

Agricultural Producers’ Cooperatives grouped together 30-50 peasant households to share land and labour.
This enabled peasants to increase yields and share the costs of new machinery. Private ownership of land
within the APCs were retained by peasant families, with profits for the year shared on the basis of ‘land share’ and ‘labour-share’. This meant wealthier peasants profited the most

Question 20

What steps were taken towards collectivisation in 1955?

Answer 20

‘Higher stage’APCs were introduced, grouping between 200-300 households. In the distribution of profits,
‘land-share’ was reduced and ‘labour-share’ was increased.

Question 21

How many peasant households belonged to APCs in July 1955?

Answer 21

17 million households.

Question 22

How many peasant households belonged to APCs in January 1956?

Answer 22

75 million households - 63% of the peasant population.

Question 23

What were the 3 main results of collectivisation 1952-57?

Answer 23

1) CCP control in the countryside was strengthened.
2) Between 1953-57, agricultural production only grew 3.8%.
3) By the end of 1956, only 3% of peasant households farmed privately. Mao proclaimed collectivisation had
been achieved 15 years ahead of schedule.

Question 24

How did China aim to achieve industrial development?

Answer 24

By following the Soviet model of Five Year Plans, with China planning to use 3 across 15 years.

Question 25

When did the First Five Year Plan take place?

Answer 25

1953 - 1957.

Question 26

What did the First Five Year Plan aim to achieve?

Answer 26

To increase the production of heavy industry, such as iron, steel, energy, transport, communications, industrial machinery and chemicals.

Question 27

How was the First Five Year Plan funded?

Answer 27

Through patriotic savings campaigns, where the CCP would encourage saving in State banks. The CCP limited the supply of consumer goods, to further stimulate saving.

Question 28

How successful was the First Five Year Plan?

Answer 28

The plan set ambitious targets, however by 1956, most of the targets had been exceeded.

Question 29

What metrics exceeded the targets of the First Five Year Plan, and by how much (%)? electrical, machine tools, steel

Answer 29

1) Steel (129% of the target). 2) Electrical power (121% of the target). 3) Machine tools (220% of the target).

Question 30

What were the 5 drawbacks to the First Five Year Plan?

Answer 30

1) Many of the new workers were illiterate and ill-trained. This meant a lot of new equipment was not installed or maintained properly. 2) An emphasis on quantity over quality. 3) State planners were ignorant of basic procedures, leading to bureaucratic delays and bottlenecks in the production, distribution and supply processes. 4) Competition for scarce resources between industries and between State and private enterprises. 5) Part of the cost was paid for by Soviet loans, which had to be repaid in food exports, with high interest.

Question 31

When was the Great Leap Forward launched?

Answer 31

January 1958.

Question 32

What slogan was the Great Leap Forward launched under?

Answer 32

‘More, faster, better, cheaper’.

Question 33

What was the CCP debate on how to increase food production?

Answer 33

Chen Yun wanted to incentivise peasants to produce more, however Mao rejected this as it would risk widening the income disparity between the rich and poor peasants.

Question 34

What were the 3 factors which caused Mao to reassess his position in 1956/57?

Answer 34

1) Events in the USSR and Eastern European revolts made Mao question both China’s reliance on the the USSR and the relationship between the CCP and the people. 2) The First Five Year Plan made it clear that the highly centralised Soviet model of economic planning was not appropriate for China. 3) Food production had not kept up with industrial growth, which would hold back further economic developments.

Question 35

How was the Great Leap Forward a way of continuing and revitalising the revolution (2)?

Answer 35

1) Mao believed that through mass mobilisation and political will, economic laws could be defied, and what technical experts stated would take decades, would take a few years. 2) Mao believed the GLF would take the CCP back to its rural routes, fearing that many in the CCP were losing their way.

Question 36

What were people’s communes

Answer 36

1958 1) The combination of APCs into even larger units, containing, on average, 20,000 people. 2) They took over the functions of local government and becoming military units. 3) Anyone aged 15-50 in a commune was a member of the people’s militia, whilst also serving as the basic work unit.

Question 37

What was life like in people’s communes (3)?

Answer 37

1) Communes took over the peasants’ private plots of land and work was organised in a military style. 2) Children and old people were cared for in communal kindergartens and ‘happiness homes’. 3) All meals were provided in mess halls, and family ties were dismissed as ‘bourgeois emotional attachments’.

Question 38

How many communes had been established by 1958?

Answer 38

25,000.

Question 39

What was the Eight Point Agricultural Constitution?

Answer 39

1958 Based on the ideals of Lysenko (a soviet agricultural expert), the eight points presented a scientific approach to improving crop yields. This involved planting crops closer together and to plough the soil much deeper than normal.

Question 40

How successful was the Eight Point Agricultural Constitution (2)?

Answer 40

1) The deeper ploughing damaged the structure of the soil. 2) The close planting deprived crops of light and nutrients. Overall, it had a disastrous effect on grain yields.

Question 41

What was the Four Noes campaign, and what was its significance on agriculture?

Answer 41

A campaign to eradicate pests (flies, mosquitoes, rats, and sparrows). People were urged to prevent sparrows from landing until they died from exhaustion, and to kill 5 flies a day. This was so effective that it upset the ecological balance and caterpillars thrived and consumed large amounts of crops.

Question 42

how many backyard furnaces by 1958

Answer 42

3) By the end of the 1958, 100,000 people were working on ‘backyard furnaces’.

Question 43

*initial results of the glf 3 kinda

Answer 43

3) By the end of the 1958, 100,000 people were working on ‘backyard furnaces’. 4) Foreign observers commended Chinese enthusiasm for the GLF. 5) According to official figures, China had a surplus of grain, and Mao suggested all to eat 5 meals a day.

Question 44

1959 GLF consequences- (bad 2

Answer 44

A 1) Food shortages were reported in 5 provinces. 2) The government declared a 270 million tonne harvest, when really it was 170 million tonnes.

Question 45

1960 stats on GLF

Answer 45

Only 143 million tonnes of grain were produced, eventually leading to the Great Chinese Famine, with up to 55 million dying.

Question 46

WHEN where backyard furnaces stopped and why

Answer 46

1959 - The steel produced by ‘backyard furnaces’ was of extremely poor quality, with only 8 million tonnes being deemed acceptable in 1958. Despite this, targets were raised to 20 million tonnes in 1959, which was not met.

Question 47

What were the 5 main reasons for the failure of the GLF?

Answer 47

1) Weather conditions in 1959 : Droughts in the north and floods in the south reduced the harvest. 2) The anti-Rightist campaign of 1957 had purged many crucial experts and statisticians, and also unnerved cadres into telling Mao what he wanted, leading to inflated figures, causing Mao to raise targets as he believed they were being met. 3) The GLF involved a great waste of human and material resources - frequent military training took peasants away from work, many focused on steel over agricultural production, lots of land was left uncultivated, and ripened grain was often left to rot. 4) A break of Sino-Soviet relations in 1960 caused a withdrawal of 10,000 Soviet experts and the halting of loans. Despite food shortages, millions of tonnes of grain had to be exported to pay for prior loans. 5) Mao overestimated the revolutionary enthusiasm of the peasants, with many reluctant to pool their resources, hoarding grain and slaughtering their animals, rather than share them.

Question 48

GLF coal figures from rounce

Answer 48

-coal production doubled to 130 mil tonnes in 1957

Question 49

GLF stat about steel

Answer 49

quadroupled to 5.35 tonnes in 57

Question 50

urbanisation more people moving stat

Answer 50

in 1949 about 57 mil lived in cities in 1957 - 100 mil

Question 51

stop contact campaign

Answer 51

jan 1955

Question 52

what is an apc

Answer 52

agricultural production cooperative

Question 53

what was the stop contract develop campaign

Answer 53

said that apcs would not be expanded for 18months in repsonse to food riots and peasant riots.

Question 54

when did 100 flowers start

Answer 54

may 1957

Question 55

when was the anti-rightist campaign

Answer 55

july 1957 - 500,000 intellectuals were branded rightist and persecuted (sent to laogai/reeducation) launched very quickly suggesting Mao had planned this response -stamped out new ruling class the bourgeoisie

Question 56

what happened as a result of 100 flowers

Answer 56

-rallies were held -students created posters comparing the ccp to imperial and the gmd -intellectuals had special issues of magazines criticising the maoist economics

Question 57

was the 100FLowers a sign of weakness? NO 2

Answer 57

-ended as a supreme show of his power over the population, 500,000 critics removed and population warned -the removal of critics paved the way for the great leap forward

Question 58

was 100Flowers a sign of weakness YES x3

Answer 58

- zhou enlai was made to make a self-criticism = shows the highest rankers in the CCP werent actually aligned with Mao - mao accused of 'disunity, corruption, and inefficiency' - everything the ccp promised to eradicate from the gmd govt - the crackdown, punishing 500,000 people demonstrated mao and the CCP regime was threatened by criticism, highlighting the insecurity of their position in china

Question 59

why 100 flowers x3

Answer 59

1) The targets of the First Five Year Plan were achieved a year early, however there was growing peasant resistance and problems in collectivising agriculture. Mao wanted to speed up economic change, but saw opposition in the Party. Mao looked to support from outside the party. 2) Mao feared the growing bureaucracy within the CCP, and believed that the Party was becoming alienated from the people. He thought criticism would ‘rectify’ this. 3) Khrushchev’s speech in 1956 shook the communist world and had significant impact on CCP politics.

Question 60

GLF success x3 | ind, infra, coll

Answer 60

+ industrial output growth, steel output rising from 5.35 million tons in 57 to 10.7 million tons in 1960, though must was low-quality and this stat is from official records + infrastructural developments, 1815 medium and large scale projects were started in 1960, including dams, irrigation systems, and factories. this also laid the groundwork for china's later industrial growth. + collectivisation scale, rapid establishment of people's communes (25,000 by 1958, covering 98% of the rural population) demonstrated the CCP's ability to mobilise and china's wider committment to the CCP

Question 61

GLF failure | famine, misinfo, econ, social, political

Answer 61

- famine, estimates of 15-45 million deaths due to starvation, driven by exaggerate production and grain reports, and disruption to agricultural practives - economic collapse, agricultural output plummeted ( grain production fell from 200 million tons in 58 to 143 million tons in 1960) = food shortages and economic stagnation. industrial gains were undermined by poor quality output ( 4 mil tons of pig iron was created and had to be buried) - policy misinformation eg mao's rejection of expert advice and use of unscientific lysenkoism led to ecological damage, eg deforestation, soil degradation from the burying of pig iron, and the thing with the insects and sparrows - social disruption, forced collectivisation broke traditional rural structures, caused labour inefficiencies and led to social unrest. long lasting demographic and social impacts (reduced birth rates eg) - political fallout, the campaign's failure led to mao's temporary sidelining (1959 lushan conferernce) and criticism from leaders such as Peng Dehuai, there was a reversal and retreat from radical policies.