The 1958-1960

“The communist spirit is growing apace throughout the country. The political consciousness of the broad masses is rising rapidly. The backward sections among them are exerting themselves to catch up with the advanced, which demonstrates that the socialist revolution in our country is forging ahead in the economic field (in those places where the relations of production have not yet been completely transformed) and in the political, ideological, technical and cultural fields. Judging from this, it will probably take less time than previously estimated for our industry and agriculture to catch up with that of the capitalist powers. In addition to the leadership of the Party, a decisive factor is our population of 600 million. More people mean a greater ferment of ideas, more enthusiasm and more energy. Never before have the masses of the people been so inspired, so militant and so daring as at present. The former exploiting classes have been completely swamped in the boundless ocean of the working people and must change, even if unwillingly. Undoubtedly there are people who will never change, who would prefer to keep their thinking ossified down to the Day of Judgment, but that does not matter very much. All decadent ideology and other incongruous parts of the super-structure are crumbling as the days go by. To clear away the rubbish completely will still take some time, but there is no doubt of their inevitable and total collapse. Apart from their other characteristics, the outstanding thing about ’s 600 million people is that they are “poor and blank”. This may seem a bad thing, but in reality it is a good thing. Poverty gives rise to the desire for change, the desire for action and the desire for revolution. On a blank sheet of paper free from any mark, the freshest and most beautiful words can be written, the freshest and most beautiful pictures can be painted.”

--, "Introducing a Co-operative" (April 15, 1958).

Questions:

What was the Great Leap Forward supposed to achieve?

In what ways was the famine of 1959-1960 a state-engineered disaster?

What were some of the main environmental consequences of the Great Leap?

Why was the outcome of the Great Leap Forward so far from its promises?

Core Readings:

Ralph Thaxton. Catastrophe and Contention in Rural China: Mao’s Great Leap Forward Famine and the Origins of Righteous Resistance in Da Fo Village. Chapter 4. Book available as an ebook: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/search~S1?/YRalph+Thaxton&searchscope=1&SORT=D/YRalph+Thaxto n&searchscope=1&SORT=D&SUBKEY=Ralph%20Thaxton/1,2,2,B/frameset&FF=YRalph+Thaxton&sea rchscope=1&SORT=D&2,2,

Becker, J. (1998) Henan A Catastrophe of Lies. In: Hungry ghosts: Mao's secret famine . 1st ed., New York: Henry Holt, Ch.8, pp.112-129.

(available online on the course abstract page of the Library website) Shapiro, J. (2001) Deforestation, Famine, and Utopian Urgency. In: Mao's war against nature: Politics and the environment in Revolutionary China. 1st ed., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Ch.2, pp.67-94

(available online on the course abstract page of the Library website)

Additional Background Reading (for revision/long essays):

Spence, Chapter 21

For a political narrative of the lead up to and launch of the Great Leap Forward, see R. MacFarquhar, The Origins of the VOL. 2, Chapters 4-6. Available as an ebook on through the library http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/search~S1?/Ythe+origins+of+the+cultural+revolution&searchsc ope=1&SORT=D/Ythe+origins+of+the+cultural+revolution&searchscope=1&SORT=D&SU BKEY=the%20origins%20of%20the%20cultural%20revolution/1%2C11%2C11%2CB/fram eset&FF=Ythe+origins+of+the+cultural+revolution&searchscope=1&SORT=D&2%2C2%2 C

Some Mao Speeches:

Speech at the Lushan Conference (23 July 1959) This is Mao’s most defensive speech. It comes following a personal letter written to him by , a major military leader and Long March veteran, which severely criticized Mao’s Great Leap policies.