The restoration of private farming by Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping

How effectively did Liu and Deng's economic reforms improve the Chinese economy? Pages 203-204

How did Mao shift the blame for the failures of the commune system and the famine?

He launched a campaign to shift the blame onto local officials which was a campaign to overthrow the management of communes and root out corrupt elements.

What was the emergency directive in November 1960?

It allowed villagers to keep their private plots of land and to engage in side occupations as well as farming and restored local markets. This meant that the commune system could now be dismantled if they chose to do so.

What was the Role of Li Fuchun?

He was the economic planner who told the party that Mao’s directives were entirely correct but they the leaders had collectively made mistakes in carrying them out.

What responsibility did Mao give Liu and Deng in 1962?

He gave them the responsibility of restoring food production levels and ending the chaos in the countryside.

What Liu and Deng did and what was its impact?

• They encouraged communes to make use of the 1960 directive

• Many communes broke into smaller collectives of about 30 households where villagers were rewarded according to their individual input while some reverted entirely to private farming

• 25 million city-dwellers were forced to move to the countryside to reduce pressure on urban food supplies

What happened with grain imports in 1961?

Massive grain imports were arranged from Canada, Australia and the USA until by 1965 the yield of Chinese grain harvest was back up to its level of 1957

What is ‘cats catching rats’? And who said it and when?

Ideological fanaticism was replaced by economic realism. Deng said in July 1962 ‘whether white or black, a cat is a good cat so long as it catches a rat’

Why is Mao resentful and suspicious?

Mao was unhappy that people had rejected the communes and uneasy that the reversion to capitalist practices was undermining his reputation

He was suspicious of Liu and Deng and thought they were plotting against him from within the party.