Ep. 4 | The Great Leap Forward

The China History Podcast
Written By Laszlo Montgomery

The Great Leap Forward ( 大跃进) from 1958-1960 caused death and suffering to dozens of millions of people. It sounded like a workable idea but it didn’t turn out like Chairman Mao hoped. When looking back on the life of Mao Zedong, the Great Leap Forward is always viewed as a black mark against his legacy.

I welcome you to listen to the podcast and learn all about what happens when central planning goes awry.

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Terms in Episode

Pinyin/TermChineseEnglish/Meaning
Da Yue Jin大跃进The Great Leap Forward
Liu Shaoqi刘少奇Mao’s first successor who later became a victim of the Cultural Revolution
Tian Jiaying田家英Mao’s secretary
Deng Xiaoping邓小平
Chen Yi陈毅
Nongmin农民peasantry
San Huai Nian三坏年The Three Bad Years
San nian da ji huang三年大饥荒Three year big famine
San nian ziran zaihai三年自然灾害Three years of natural disasters
Yang Jisheng杨继绳Author of the authoritative book about the Great Leap Forward, Tombstone
Lushan Conference庐山会议July 1959 meeting where the Great Leap Forward was discussed and Peng Dehuai was criticized
Peng Dehuai彭德怀Hunanese Revolutionary Hero, Defense Minister and old comrade of Mao…criticized by Mao at the Lushan Conference
Ta gan shuo hua他敢说话He dared to speak up, what many say about Peng Dehuai
Lin Biao林彪China’s defense minister after Peng Dehuai

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