The scope of this investigation: To what extent Mao's leadership caused the failure of the Great Leap Forward with regards to the government, the Chinese people, and the relevant countries, the period is from 1958 to 1960s, sources are books and the internet. The failure of the Great Leap Forward would be narrated based on the materials found, in the "Summary of Evidence". An evaluation would be given based on the evidence in the "Analysis" section through detailed events and the question implied in this investigation would then be addressed in the conclusion.
B. Summary of EvidenceDuring the 1950s, China's market was in a phase of revival from the preceding wars with the Japanese and the KMD. Mao wanted to increase the industrialization of China while maintaining its high agricultural production. The mass mobilization of the country's huge population was to be accomplished in a few years, along economic advances that took nations decades to accomplish .
President Nixon meets with China's Communist Party...
English: Mao's official portrait at Tiananmen gate...
Pictured here is former Chinese Chairman Mao Zedon...Mao maintained the grain amount farmed by using the theories of "close planting" and "deep ploughing". Neither yielded what was expected, and the amount of grain declined . Originally, many believed in Mao as the initial results appeared hopeful, "Sputniks" flourished everywhere , and propaganda helped.
Mao did not believe the claims of success he made himself . He said to the Supreme Council 'What are we going to do as there isn't enough food to eat?' 6 months later He claimed that there was surplus food .
He made "surplus food" happen through all means and ways . He put the blame on others when he failed; he told the Government that peasants were hiding food when he knew that the peasants had no food to hide. He also eliminated sparrows, causing pests kept down by it to thrive with disastrous results.