Facts for agriculture and industrial change

Evidence that backyard furnaces produced bad quality steel?

Official figure 4m tonnes

• Only 1% useable

Evidence that backyard furnaces reduced agricultural labour?

1 in 10 people employed in making steel

Evidence that the gov prolonged the Great Famine?

Grain requisitioning increased from 17% (1957) to 28% (1959)

Grain exports increased by 2.2m tonnes (1975-59)

Evidence that Mao did not know the true extent of agricultural failure?

CC meeting (1958) Mao declared 430m tonnes of grain harvested

• Real figure 200m tonnes

Evidence cadres feared challenging Party policy?

Anti-Rightist campaign (1957)

• ~2.4m killed

Evidence commitment to Lysenkoism contributed to agricultural failure?

1958 Lysenkoism made policy

• Mao’s 8 point programme

• Lysenko claim that his super crops produced 16 yield disproved

• Mao - “in company grain grows fat”

Evidence of successful redistribution?

1952: 42% of land distributed to 60% of population

Evidence of Land Reform increasing output?

1950-1952: agricultural production increased by 15% per annum

Evidence that landlords were attacked by the Communists?

Official figure 700,000 landlords killed

Halliday and Chang estimated up to 3m killed

Evidence collectivisation had limited impact on output?

1953-54: grain production increased by less than 2%

Evidence that most peasants forced into collectivisation?

Dec 1955: 63% peasants in APCs + 4% in higher APCs

Jan 1956: 80% peasants in APCs + 31% in higher APCs

End 1956: 88% peasants in higher APCs

Evidence of exceeding First Five Year Plan targets?

Coal production x2 - 115% actual as percentage of target

Steel production x4 - 130%

Cement production x2.5 - 114%

Electrical power production x2.5 - 122%

Trucks production - 188%

Machine tools production - 220%

Bicycles produced = 1,174,000 - 212%

Evidence of not meeting First Five Year Plan targets?

Locomotives from 20-167 (target 200)

Insecticides from 600-61,000 tonnes (target 70,000)

Evidence that urban population increased?

From 60m (1949) to 100m (1957)