The Great Leap Forward Part 1

It all started as a necessity China needed economic growth compared to the USSR. They started to think in an idea that would give China the advantage over the First Five year plan of the USSR. “If we are forced to break some eggs, then do it. So that we can have our National Omelette. SO IM GOING TO DO MY GREAT LEAP FORWARD!!! Russia big, Chinese people are behind hard working Russians and my Five year plan! Crap …

Why the GLF? Mao wanted to diverge from the first FYP which followed a more soviet approach. In the USSR the pesantry didn´t form an integral part of the indutrialization process. Stalin´s FYP would exploit and starve the rural areas in exchange of resources. Mao could not follow this approach as almost 70% of the CCP membership were peasants.

What’s the GLF It was an optimistic plan that required mass mobilization to enhance the agricultural production and as a consequence, improve the industry.

Why mass mobiliaztion? Mao and most of the Yan´an leaders remembered the Yan´an Years as the glorious part of the revolution. Because of its «communist essence» There was no burocracy or social startification. When leaders and their followers overcame the unthikable (The Long March)

The GLF strategy Mobilize underemployed labour power to make up for lack of capital in industry and agriculture. Setting ambitious goals for China’s leading economic sectors. In industry, rely on both: modern and traditional methods to enhance output. In other areas, disregard technical norms “more and faster” instead of “better and more economical.”

Mao wanted to utilize peasant output through organizational and political tools. Chen Yun 5th rankin member of the party and highest rankin economy specialist, gave his own proposal to increase agricultural output.

Chen Yun Plan Assumed that peasants would only respond to increased material incentives and NOT to coercion and ideological exhortation. Material incentives required not only that pesants recieve good prices for their products but that they had consumer goods available to them.

Mao’s allies.

Problems with the image of Mao Caused some problems within the population… like the food cards…. The heads of the party couldn’t agree in the plan to follow. The relation with the USSR started to deteriorate. The economic state of China was deplorable. Millions of people were starved to death      +++ angry people= disaster People lived in communes. Steel campaign

Break up in the Yanan Leadership. When Peng Dehuai first knew of the GLF, he was more of a pessimistic idea, but didn’t opposed Mao’s collectivisation policies in By 1958, the problems with the GLF became more than apparent and he started to criticise Mao publicly. During the anniversary of the creation of the Soviet Red army, Peng suggested that Mao should stop the GLF and the disastrous economy of China, and instead, giving much of attention to increase military cooperation between the USSR and China.

He also criticised continuously the Chairman during his tours to the lands in He saw the devastation of the lands and how people were put to man blast furnace at their backyard. Also in that year, he made a speech in Shanghai where he actually accused Mao of “taking personal command over the national politics and disregarding the collective leadership of the Chinese people and the party.

Mao’s problem… Lushuan conference Peng Dehuai openly disagreed with Mao’s policies in a letter. He wanted to be the next Chairman of the Party. Mao had to change all the rules he had previously established for the debate on the top leadership of the party to that point.

Mao’s solution To the political problem, Mao delivered the letter to all the members of the party for criticism. Peng was dismissed and replaced by Ling Biao. Opposition to the regime was severely punished, people were sent to labour camps.