Communist Industrialization

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Communist Industrialization

Mao’s Aims

Mission

Mao wanted to model his industry after the USSR, so he started to focus on building up the industry, and abandoned the traditional agriculture structure set up in China before him

Goals

Mao tried to boost industry by forcing everyone to have steel furnaces and produce steel in an attempt to pass the UK’s industry in 15 years and have enough steel and coal, which decreased in supply over time, to become an industrial superpower. Mao kept track of industrial progress through his 5-year plans.

First Five Year Plan

All private industries and business were nationalized many former owners were still kept on as managers and given an annual share of the profits

The 5-year plan was aimed to boost sectors such as iron and steel, energy, transport, communications, machinery, and chemicals were prioritized

China wanted to assert Chinese dominance in the industry and to no longer be dependent on Russia

Overall targets were exceeded by 20% and light industry rose by 70% (Not all of these figures can be trusted)

For the first time, China produced its own cars, tractors, airplanes, cargo ships, machine tools, and penicillin

The Great Leap Forward

greater, faster, better, [and] cheaper" production.

-Wanted to surpass England in 15 (or even less) years and to make the transition from socialism to communist

by leaving the Soviet Union far behind.

a mass steel campaign, and the formation of the people's communes

Life was militarized for this battle for steel.

- labor power was lacking to bring in the harvests.

-small backyard furnaces were built

-mass-produced people's steel was so poor

Mao's Success

First Five Year Plan

Iron and steel mills were established all over the country

Roads and railways were built, especially near areas with resources such as coal, iron ore, and oil

The Great Leap Forward

Further improvements to infrastructure

Steel production increased

Got the people of China working together towards a common goal

Those affected my Mao's Policies

Mao’s practices of Communism on industry didn’t go too well

Quotas weren’t meant, millions ended up dying in the name of a new, industrial China. (30-60 million died from the famine)

Steel factories in backyards detonated and made terrible steel

Forced peasants into factories as slaves

Children forced to collect steel donations

Industrial Capacity

With collective ownership of factories in China, industrialization increased, for only a short amount of time.

Grain in 1958 was 200 million tonnes of grain

Most being exported, around 23% being exported

In 1959, production was 170 million tonnes

Lowest recorded was 145.6 million tonnes

Steel production boosted, but not to the extent Mao wanted.

Only 13 million tonnes at its peak (1960) lowest (1957) was 5 million tonnes

One year after it’s boom, steel dropped to 8 million tonnes.

In 1960, the UK was producing 24 million tonnes of steel

Backyard Steel Factories

Backyard Furnaces were implemented in 1958

Mao pushed the idea that since not everyone can work in a factory, they should make furnaces

These furnaces were very unstable, and many ended up exploding from all the heat and poor material

Fuel for these furnaces was wood from coffins or any flammable material

Around 99% of all steel produced in these furnaces were considered “slag”

The steel had been contaminated with other materials that had been dropped in

Wood, Clay, Cloth, Children, etc.

Great Leap Forward Failures

Mao wanted to make China from an agrarian landscape, into an industrial palace, boosting industry and production.

Great Leap Forward mainly failed due to the cost of life involved and the overshot quotas

With Mao focused on his Communist ideology, he didn’t want to have a more pragmatic policy for the economy