Mao's China: The Great Leap and the Cultural Revolution

What happened

Mao's Great Leap Forward, launched in 1958 to industrialize China at breakneck speed, ended in disaster and a famine with deaths estimated in the tens of millions. Then, from 1966 until his death in 1976, Mao's Cultural Revolution convulsed the country, pitting Chinese against Chinese in violent purges of alleged enemies of the revolution.

Why it matters

These two upheavals cost enormous numbers of lives and years of development, and their memory shaped the more cautious, growth-focused China that followed.

Sources

• Asia for Educators, Columbia University. The Great Leap Forward · Reputable source
• Asia for Educators, Columbia University. China: 1950–2000 — Key Points · Reputable source