The largest famine in human history took place in China during 1959-61 .
Although drought was a contributory factor, this was largely a manmade catastrophe for which Mao Zedong bears the greatest responsibility. We will never know the precise number of casualties, but the best demographic reconstructions indicate about 30 million dead .
Two generations later China is yet to openly examine the causes and consequences of the famine.
The origins of the famine can be traced to Mao Zedong's decision, supported by the leadership of China's communist party, to launch the Great Leap Forward. This mass mobilisation of the country's huge population was to achieve in just a few years economic advances that took other nations many decades to accomplish.. Instead of working in the fields, tens of millions of peasants were ordered to mine local deposits of iron ore and limestone, to cut trees for charcoal, to build simple clay furnaces, and to smelt metal. Peasants were forced to abandon all private food production, and newly formed agricultural communes planted less land to grain, which at that time was the source of more than 80% of China's food energy.
At the same time, fabricated reports of record grain harvests were issued to demonstrate the superiority of communal farming. Over-reporting of crop production and ill distribution of food meant that the rural population were left with nothing to eat. The culmination of all these factors led to the starvation of the entirely country for “three bitter years” and killed directly up to 30 million people
The greatest omission was the failure of China's rulers to acknowledge the famine and promptly to secure foreign food aid. Study of famines shows how easily they can be ended (or prevented) once the government decides to act but the Chinese government took nearly three years to act. Taking away all means of private food production (in some places even cooking utensils), forcing peasants into mismanaged communes, and continuing food exports were the worst acts of commission
Mao himself was the second major factor that escalated the scale of the famine, in his ignorance he had failed to realise the existence of the disaster and sacrificed millions in an attempt to make his policies seem successful. He chose to repay China’s debts ahead of schedule, and appallingly, maintained its status as a major exporter of grain, further reducing the already diminished food supply.
Click for Article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine
Although drought was a contributory factor, this was largely a manmade catastrophe for which Mao Zedong bears the greatest responsibility. We will never know the precise number of casualties, but the best demographic reconstructions indicate about 30 million dead .
Two generations later China is yet to openly examine the causes and consequences of the famine.The origins of the famine can be traced to Mao Zedong's decision, supported by the leadership of China's communist party, to launch the Great Leap Forward. This mass mobilisation of the country's huge population was to achieve in just a few years economic advances that took other nations many decades to accomplish.. Instead of working in the fields, tens of millions of peasants were ordered to mine local deposits of iron ore and limestone, to cut trees for charcoal, to build simple clay furnaces, and to smelt metal. Peasants were forced to abandon all private food production, and newly formed agricultural communes planted less land to grain, which at that time was the source of more than 80% of China's food energy.
At the same time, fabricated reports of record grain harvests were issued to demonstrate the superiority of communal farming. Over-reporting of crop production and ill distribution of food meant that the rural population were left with nothing to eat. The culmination of all these factors led to the starvation of the entirely country for “three bitter years” and killed directly up to 30 million people
The greatest omission was the failure of China's rulers to acknowledge the famine and promptly to secure foreign food aid. Study of famines shows how easily they can be ended (or prevented) once the government decides to act but the Chinese government took nearly three years to act. Taking away all means of private food production (in some places even cooking utensils), forcing peasants into mismanaged communes, and continuing food exports were the worst acts of commission
Mao himself was the second major factor that escalated the scale of the famine, in his ignorance he had failed to realise the existence of the disaster and sacrificed millions in an attempt to make his policies seem successful. He chose to repay China’s debts ahead of schedule, and appallingly, maintained its status as a major exporter of grain, further reducing the already diminished food supply.
Click for Article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine
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