Question

The Great Leap Forward (GLF) campaign was initiated in __________ .

• A. 1948
• B. 1938
• C. 1958
• D. 1942

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The Great Leap Forward (GLF) campaign was a policy initiative led by the People's Republic of China under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, aiming at transforming the country from an agrarian economy into a socialist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization. It was initiated in 1958.

The correct answer is 1958, as it was the year the campaign officially began.

Answer 2

The Great Leap Forward was an ambitious socio-economic campaign initiated by Mao Zedong in 1958 in China. Its primary goal was to rapidly transform China from an agrarian society into an industrialized socialist nation by focusing on large-scale collective farming and the development of heavy industry.

The campaign included measures such as the collectivization of agriculture, where private farms were consolidated into large collective farms, and the creation of communes. Mao also promoted the establishment of backyard furnaces to produce steel, encouraging people to melt down metal objects to contribute to the country’s industrial output.

However, the Great Leap Forward proved disastrous. The forced collectivization led to a decline in agricultural productivity, causing widespread famine. It is estimated that millions of people died due to food shortages and poor planning. The policy failed to achieve its industrial goals, and the economic damage led to its eventual abandonment in the early 1960s.

The Great Leap Forward remains a controversial period in Chinese history, seen as a bold attempt at rapid modernization that ultimately resulted in significant hardship for the population.