The Great Leap Forward (GLF) campaign was initiated in 1958 with the primary aim of industrialising the country on a massive scale. This was launched after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China under one-party rule, where all critical sectors were brought under government control.

To achieve rapid industrialisation, people were encouraged to set up industries in their backyards. In rural areas, the campaign introduced the Commune system, where people collectively cultivated lands. By 1958, there were 26,000 communes covering almost all of the farm population.

The campaign, however, met with severe problems. A severe drought caused havoc in China, leading to the death of about 30 million people. Furthermore, when Russia had conflicts with China, it withdrew its professionals who had earlier been sent to assist in the industrialisation process.

The Maoist vision of economic development, based on decentralisation and shunning foreign capital, failed. Despite initiatives like the GLF, the per capita grain output in 1978 was the same as it was in the mid-1950s. Following this, Mao introduced the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1965, sending students and professionals to the countryside.