Mao’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolutions

1. Mao’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolutions

2. Mao wanted collective ownership of all farms and factories. • Private ownership was eliminated and productions quotas were set for all agriculture and industry. • 1958 – All farms would be large collectives where ALL ownership and decisions would be in the hands of the government.

3. Mao’s program was known as the Great Leap Forward. He felt there would be great positive change for China.

4. Many Chinese farmers didn’t like this new system. • They were forced to give up their land, they no longer owned anything and had no reason to work hard. • Many farmers were forced to go to work in factories. • There was a period of crop failure. • Famine follow where thousands died. • Mao began to see his idea of a classless society where everyone was equal slipping away.

5. Mao responded with the Cultural Revolution in 1966 – • He urged students to leave school and make war on anything in Chinese society that encouraged class difference. • He organized the Red Guard made up of young adults and children.

6. The Red Guard was to – • Single out and report anyone who was preventing China from being a classless society. • Business managers, college professors, government officials who did not follow the Cultural Revolution were put in prison or killed.

7. The chaos in China came to an end in 1976 after Mao’s death and the Cultural Revolution ended.

8. 1980 Deng Xiaoping was named the new leader of China. • He allowed farmers to own some land and make decisions on what they would grown. • He also allowed some private businesses to organize. • He opened China to foreign trade.

9. Tiananmen Square • A student ran demonstration to protest for continued economic reform and liberation but later evolving in to a movement for political reforms and freedom of the press. • The movement last for 7 weeks when martial law was declared (military comes in and takes over)

10. The military troops came in and opened fire on the crowd to clear the square of the protestor. • Several hundred civilians were killed.

11. The Western governments responded by imposing economic sanctions and arms embargos.

12. The Chinese government had a wide spread arrest of protestors. • They cracked down on future protest. • They banned foreign press from the county and had strict control of the Chinese press. • This would delay further market reforms.