Mao's Femårsplan: Økonomiske og sociale konsekvenser

The consequences of challenges of Mao’s economical and social progression during the “Five-year plan”

When Mao and the CCP took power in 1949, there was clear expectations set on how the PRC would progress socially and economically. Through the 2 fases of the “Five-year plan” China grew exponentially, though the massive growth resulted in consequences socially. Trough economic statistics, this essay will pursue what the consequences were and raise question if the statistics provided by historians, match the real social and economic challenge the PRC met after Mao and the CCP took power in 1949.

Economically, it was key for the CCP to build up the economy again since inflation has been at an all-time high . The key factors to regain economic power was to become a command economy, meaning the CCP, as the center of authority, needed to control the production of goods, materials, and what is being produced. The plan to achieve this was established in 1952, called the “Five-year plan”. Mao took inspiration from Stalin’s “Five-year plan” and saw the massive improvement it had on the USSR. In the source “The search for modern China” by historian, Jonathan Spence, a table shows the statistics on the “Five-year plan”. The source shows the amount of focus on heavy industry, that was put on e.g., transport industry and the clear progression from 1952-1957. Jonathan Spence is an American historian, and we can therefore presume that the data presented is therefore clear of propaganda, from the Chinese government. Therefore, it is certain that the statistics speak for themselves, China’s rise to power was through the massive shift from agricultural to industrial power, which was key. Though, consequences were met, because of this massive shift under such a short span of time it led to social changes, food shortages, and labour efficiencies as the goal was to build enormous constructions only through manpower. In short, the progression of the economics in China (1952), led to massive economical progression, though it came at human costs.