The Great Leap ForwardA political campaign with the slogan "it is possible to accomplish any task whatsoever" began in 1958 and was supposed to develop architecture and industry by creating communes all throughout China. However, by 1959, wide spread flooding had destroyed crops throughout the country. Alongside a collapse in industrial infrastructure, China began to crumble. Harvesting 170 million tons of grain by the end of the year, the country was in trouble
By 1960, harvesting had gotten even worse, bringing in a total of 144 million tons of grain. Between the years of 1959 and 1962, it is estimated that 20 million people dies from starvation or starvation related illnesses. |