Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward in 1958 was a major economic and social campaign initiated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to transform China into an industrialized, self-sufficient nation in just a few years. This campaign was one of Mao’s biggest initiatives and sought to rapidly modernize China’s agriculture, industry and technology while also identifying and eliminating ‘’capitalist’’ elements of China’s economy. The main goal of the Great Leap Forward (GLF) was to propel China from an agrarian-based society to an industrialized power within a few short years.
The GLF faced many obstacles, but the CCP was determined to achieve the goal of modernization and industrialization within its own terms. The CCP pushed for radical changes in the individual lives of citizens, breaking up traditional farming practices, enforcing communal eating habits, and making mass efforts to increase the rate of steel production among the population. The GLF aimed to change the face of rural China, uniting its people under a single cause, while improving living standards and national morale.
Mao’s primary purpose was to boost China’s industrial output and transform it into an industrialized power. To this end, the CCP stressed the need to boost steel production. This was intended to create the materials necessary for advancing industrial production, and to help the country become self-sufficient in the manufacturing of commodities. To meet its ambitious goal of increasing steel output by 250%, the CCP encouraged all citizens to participate in steel making. The CCP encouraged people to melt down their personal belongings, such as pots, pans and tools in order to produce steel. It also provided incentives for those who met or exceeded steel production goals.
The GLF also sought to dramatically increase agricultural production in order to feed China’s huge population. To accomplish this, the CCP implemented several initiatives to boost food production, such as introducing new, higher-yield crop varieties and reorganizing the collective organization of farming. The CCP also encouraged new forms of cooperation and collectivism among rural communities, such as communal dining and shared housing. By combining these various initiatives, the CCP hoped to achieve both agricultural and industrial improvement in a short period of time.
Finally, the GLF envisioned the creation of a unified, socialist China. As part of this, the CCP implemented numerous measures to reduce inequality across the country, eliminate illiteracy and close the gap between urban and rural areas. For example, the CCP developed new schools and universities and provided free health care to rural areas. In addition, the state strengthened its control over the media, promoted revolutionary ideology and tightened censorship.
Although the CCP was initially successful in achieving some of its goals, the Great Leap Forward ultimately proved to be an unsustainable effort, resulting in an economic and social disaster. By 1962, crop yields had dropped significantly and industrial production had stalled due to poor planning and inadequate resources. In addition, the negative effects of the GLF, including the mass movement of people and environmental degradation, led to widespread famine and eventually took the lives of millions of Chinese citizens.
Despite its failure, Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward retained a powerful legacy in China and shaped the country’s subsequent trajectory. Although it ultimately ended in disaster, the GLF was important in promoting a sense of national identity and unity, while providing an opportunity for China to envision an increasingly prosperous future. Moreover, the campaign’s legacy has been recognized as an integral part of China’s development over the past decades. Hence, the main goal of the Great Leap Forward was to modernize China’s economy and rapidly transform it into an industrialized world power in just a few years.