The Great Famine, 1958-62

What was the Chinese Great Famine?

The Chinese Great Famine was a period of limited food supply in China which killed 50 million people.

Why did the Chinese Great Famine happen?

There were 5 reasons behind the Great Famine:

• ❖ Lack of incentives: Due to collectivisation, peasants no longer sold excess stock for profit so there was no incentive to grow more or attain higher yields.
• ❖ Four Pests Campaign: Mao had launched a campaign to remove 'pests' which ate agricultural produce. However, by disturbing the ecosystem, more crops were eaten by wildlife.
• ❖ Political influence: Mao used guidance from Soviet scientists who believed their methods would increase crop yields more than 16 times over. However, this proved incorrect.
• ❖ Fear: People did not want to speak out about the failure to produce enough food as they feared repercussions.
• ❖ Natural events: China had suffered a drought which limited harvested goods.

What was the result of the Chinese Great Famine?

Up to 50 million people died as a result of the famine. It also caused families to be separated as parents were forced to swap their children for food items. Tibet in particular suffered, with more than 1 million people dying.