jan 1, 1958 - The Great Leap Forward (The Second Five Year Plan)

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During 1958, the Chinese government instituted a second Five-Year Plan, named the Great Leap Forward, in the hopes of matching the industrial output of the Western World. Consequently, China acquired massive shipments of modern machinery, and distributed it throughout the country. Part of the Great Leap Forward involved the creation of large farming communities, called People’s Communes, which included farming and industrial sectors, as well as basic facilities for its inhabitants.
Despite the efforts of the government, the Great Leap Forward is generally considered an utter failure, as industrial output decreased dramatically, and famine was widespread. An estimated number of nearly 20 million people are said to have starved to death in between 1958 and 1960. As a result of this, the program was abandoned in the early 1960s.

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