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October
1, 1949 marked Mao Tse-tung's proclamation of the
People's Republic of China. The Chinese Communist
Party launched numerous movements to systematically
destroy the traditional Chinese social and political
system. One of Mao's major goals was the total
collectivization of the peasants. In 1958, he launched
the "Great Leap Forward" campaign. This act was aimed
at accomplishing economic and technical development of
the country at a faster pace and with greater results.
Instead, the "Great Leap Forward" destroyed the
agricultural system, causing a terrible famine in
which 27 million people starved to death. |
