The Cultural Revolution in China 1966

Udpluk af opgave: The Cultural Revolution originated in the disastrous outcome of Mao’s second five-year plan also known as The Great Leap Forward 1958 – 62. Mao believed that the ideal way to modernize Chi-nese economy was by collectivizing: private farming ceased to exist and the Chinese peasantry was to regard their commune as their private relation – not their family. This was a huge social trans-formation. Furthermore, agricultural land was divided into 70000 communes which were now under the control of the central government: the state decided which crops the farmers should grow, which farming methods they should apply (an eight point agricultural “constitution” based on Lesenko), how the sale and distribution of agricultural products should take place and at what price (the state now functioned as the ultimate landlord).