Mao's Failure Of The Great Leap Forward In China

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The Great Leap Forward took place during 1958 and 1960 (C). Mao introduced the Great Leap Forward as a means to catch up to the West’s development through agricultural and industrial development. The key factors of this movement were Propaganda, the introduction of communes and hard labour. While this was claimed to be in the interests of the Chinese population, the manner in which Mao lead this campaign, in addition to its devastating consequences, cannot prove these claims true (A). Mao’s goals for China were impossible to achieve as he believed the country could make a century’s worth of achievements in as little as a few decades (B). Although Mao claimed that these achievements were to be accomplished in the interests of the Chinese population, it is clear that the damage caused by the Great Leap Forward was too extreme to reflect a policy which was in the interests of the people. Mao introduced the idea of communes as he believed these would increase production. …show more content…

Chairman Mao devised a plan to expel the “Four Olds” – old habits, manners, customs and culture (E). This would involve destruction of any symbols or objects of traditional China, such as historical sights and cultural relics (E). This strategy also meant many people would have their precious belongings destroyed. The Chinese were forced to forget their traditional customs and culture and those who refused were considered opposition to Mao (F). Mao formed a paramilitary group, the Red Guard, to implement this campaign which was made up of the Chinese youth. The education system was removed, therefore the Youth joined the Red Guard and harassed the elderly and intellectual population who were considered class enemies