Great Leap Forward

The Great Leap Forward was an economic and social campaign initiated by the Chinese Communist Party from 1958 to 1962, aimed at rapidly transforming China from an agrarian society into an industrialized nation. It emphasized collectivization of agriculture and large-scale industrial projects, such as backyard steel furnaces. However, mismanagement, unrealistic goals, and poor planning led to a massive famine, resulting in millions of deaths. The campaign ultimately failed to achieve its objectives, highlighting the dangers of authoritarian economic policies and lack of local knowledge, and it significantly affected China's subsequent development strategies.