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Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward

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Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward The state under Mao Being an absolute ruler of a one party state has it’s issues, every problem and every mistake being made is being magnified as there is no one to keep the ruler on track. It was taught that Mao never made mistakes and that he was beyond criticism, so the truth was either completely ignored or suppressed. The land and industrial policies that were put in place were highly unrealistic, and therefore led to the greatest famine in Chinese history; the government’s reaction was to ignore it and pretend that nothing was happening to the nation. Key Dates 1956 Beginning of Collectivization 1958-62 Second Five Year Plan Widespread famine 1958 Mao gave up presidency of PRC 1959 Lushan Conference Tibetan Rising 1962 Panchen Lama’s Report Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping appointed tackle famine Mao’s Goals BIG TWO OBJECTIVES 1. to create an Describes the second FYP (1958-62) industrialised economy Goals: in order to ‘catch up’ ● To turn the PRC into a modern industrial state in the with the West; shortest length of time 2. to transform China into ● Revolutionizing the agriculture and industry ● To catch up to the economy of other major powers a collectivized society: ● Future of china: responsibility of workers and industry where socialist principles NOT peasants and agriculture defined work, ● Belief that chinna can surpass the industrialized world production, and people’s by following communist russia’s footsteps lives ● “Leap” Rural, agricultural economy Urban, industrial economy Mao talking about the GLF “china will overtake all capitalist countries in a fairly short time and become one of the richest, most advanced and powerful countries of the world” “More, faster, better, cheaper” While the First Five Year Plan had succeeded in stimulating rapid industrialisation and increased production, Mao was suspicious of Soviet models of economic development. Instead, Mao favoured an ideological shift in economic policy that would continue industrialisation but also move China towards agricultural collectivisation. Mao’s Inspiration ● Inspired by Soviet Union but didn’t want to follow them ● China had no experience in economic growth According to The 60 Articles on Working Methods, the targets of the plan have often been decided without a grounded knowledge of the Chinese economic reality ● So they were forced to follow USSR’s steps ● Especially in heavy industry ● Recognizes that as a weakness Comparison: Mao and Stalin’s Ambitions 1. Initially, Stalin was against rapid 2. Mao was in for rapid industrialization industrialization. When Stalin accepted from the start. He did not need convincing the need for collectivization he also from anyone whereas Stalin reconsidered had to reconsider industrialization. His the opinions of Trotsky, Zinoviev and goals of collectivisation required many Kamenev. Industrialization was stressed more tractors than the state owned. As much more than collectivization. Where in well as tractors, there was also a need the Soviet Union collectivization was strictly to develop the oil fields to provide the implemented as of the start of the first FYP, necessary petrol to drive the machines. it was only halfway during the first FYP in Power stations also had to be built to China that Mao realized that China was supply the farms with electricity. lacking labour force. It was in the beginning of the second FYP that Mao made collectivization mandatory. INDUSTRIAL REFORM Industrial “LIFT OFF” Using China’s greatest strength: it's massive population Each individual would have a role to fulfill ● The COLLECTIVIZED peasants would create a surplus of food that would be sold abroad to raise money for industrial expansion ● The INDUSTRIAL workers would create a modern industrial economy, powerful enough to compete with the West and the USSR Upgrade from First FYP to the Second ● Mao believed it was a matter of pure will ● Emphasis on heavy industry and large projects ● Industrial colossus ● Similarly to Stalin: the leader himself impressed by big plans ● Scale of construction rather than economic revenue that was appealing ● MANPOWER = SUCCESS The Sixty Articles on Working Methods ● The articles in which the goals and ideas of the GLF were expressed for the first time ● January 21st 1958 ● Outlines the purposes and goals of the second FYP (aka the GLF) ● The points were determined at Nanning and Hangzhou Conferences (both happened in early January 1958) “Our main purpose is to seek to obtain a progress on working methods so as to adapt to the needs of the changed political conditions” - Mao Zedong, Article 9 “The next ten years will be determined by the following three years. Efforts should be made to bring about the basic transformation of the look of most areas in the next three years.” - Mao Zedong, The 60 Articles on Working Methods “The emperor of the blue ants” ● Visible proof of china’s growth under communism ○ Bridges, dams, canals constructed ○ Just like in the Soviet Union ● Blue uniforms for everyone ● The simplest tools ● The people of china became working ants ● Propaganda ○ Joyful, singing people at work ● Addition to thousands of prisoner workers ● Mao = emperor of those working ants in blue uniforms Tiananmen Square ● Building of Tiananmen Square ● 1957-59 ● Clearing of 100 acre site from homes, shops, markets ● Open to the south, with two new buildings to the east and west, and the Forbidden City to the north ● One of the largest public spaces to this day ● Mao’s goal: to make it larger than Moscow’s Red Square ● Visited major construction sites himself Not only did Mao use his visits of major working sites as propaganda, he was also genuinely curious to see how the workers were doing. But similarly to Stalin, he would try to incorporate himself into the “process of industrializing the state” for propaganda purposes. Ming Tombs (burial ground for emperors of Ming Dynasty) Mao joined in the digging for half an hour (and heavily publicized this action). His doctor stated that was the first time he had seen Mao physically exert himself over 20 years. Development of his cult of personality. The Second FYP 1958-62 ● Centre piece of GLF ● Big ceremonies: 1958 ● Targets & quotas set and reset but were not based on sound economic analysis ● Was it really a plan? ● Projected figures changed frequently ● Li Hsien-nien ○ Minister of finance ○ Admitted that it was a disorganized fiasco Steel Production ● The doubling of steel production was other of Mao’s initial goals of the Great Leap Forward ● Steel targets further escalated during the period ● 1957: annual steel production target was 5.35 million tonnes ● May 1958: target raised to 10.7 million tonnes ● An often stated goal was that China’s steel production should catch up to the Soviet Union by 1960 and eventually overtake that of Britain “General steel” and “General grain” Figurative speaking to outline the “two great soldiers” that lead China to economic victory General Grain: triumphing battle to increase food supplies General Steel: wins struggle to turn china into a successful industrial economy Backyard Furnaces Campaign ● Mao’s belief: by mass producing steel China’s problems would all be solved ● Communal activity where everyone participated ● Enthusiasm, not skill required ● “Learning by doing” ● Everyone rushed to build little kilns (family furnaces) ○ Out of dirt, soil, plants, etc. ● Large areas of china would be flooded in smoke during the day ● Home made steel “The Steel ○ Scraps of iron melted to form steel Fever” ● Everyone joined in, including ministers and their families ● Officials reported back to Mao: how faithfully and successfully the people of china were responding Historiography “The sky at night was reddened by the flames of millions of kilns” - Michael Lynch “Seething, clattering frenzy” - Roderick MacFarquar (celebrated foreign writer residing in Beijing at the time) “China was dipped into a sea of fire” - Frank Dikötter Weaknesses of Campaign ● Goodwill did not produce good steel ● There was a high demand for wood as fuel ● At first authorities pretended they didn’t notice unproductiveness of policy ● Steel collected from eager peasants & dumped into deep pits to bury it then and there ● Policy abandoned once it was realized how unproductive it was ● One tonne of iron from a backyard furnace cost twice the amount of that produced in a modern furnace ● The backyard furnaces campaign can symbolize the GLF: lots of energy, noise, and endeavour, but little substance State Owned Enterprises ● Attempt to bring Failures Worker Benefits industry under total ● Fulfilled “centrally ● Destroyed sense of controlled industry” but government control endeavour but in practice they workers had an “iron ● Existing companies performed worse than rice bowl” could no longer operate expected ● Aka they were as private firms ● Destroyed motives for guaranteed a job and ● Worked for the state as managers or workers to protected their wages show initiative designated SOEs ● SOEs provided ● (like in a Kolkhoz: no workers with ● Workers could no longer work was getting done) accommodations, bargain for pay and ● Worker: conscious or medical care and work conditions idle, still received same education for families pay Weaknesses of Second FYP ● There were impressive increases in output ● Serious decrease in production in 1960s ● Data only shows PRODUCTION of material not HOW MUCH IS USED ● No plan for taking care of manufactured goods that were being produced ● China lacking essentials: ○ Technical skill ○ Managerial
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