The 1958 Commune Movement in China

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the emergence of communes in the Chinese countryside in the late 1950s as a "natural" step in the process of transformation demanded by the Great Leap Forward. The paper states that, although the cooperativization in 1955-56 resulted in the "loss" of land for the peasants, they retained their homes, small private plots and some animals. The author reports that under the impetus of the slogan "build socialism more, faster, better and more economically", far-reaching changes in working styles and methods were made throughout China.

From the Paper:

"An example of the attempt to introduce the peasantry to factory-style production and technique is the oft-cited movement for the construction and operation of "back-yard furnaces". These enterprises aimed to produce a crude form of pig iron using primarily scrap metal, with the hope that through the development of local skills and initiative, farm implements and other tools could be produced locally. The first orders for the construction of these small brick blast furnaces came in May 1958 from Ko Ching-shih, the First Secretary of the Shanghai City Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But later, and at a time when the experiment was being looked upon with some derision, Mao himself accepted responsibility for advocating the idea (2)."

More papers on The 1958 Commune Movement in China:

• Analytical Essay # 133174 : "The Rise of Inequality in China"
• Essay # 143761 : "Ideology And The Cult Of Personality In China"
• Essay # 84419 : "The Threat of AIDS in China "

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: