Backyard steel campaign

Definition

The backyard steel campaign was an initiative during China's Great Leap Forward in the late 1950s aimed at rapidly increasing steel production by encouraging people to set up small furnaces in their backyards. This grassroots movement intended to boost industrial output but led to the production of low-quality steel and diverted labor from agriculture, significantly impacting food production and contributing to widespread famine.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The backyard steel campaign encouraged individuals and families to build small furnaces to produce steel, but the quality was often subpar compared to industrially produced steel.
2. Laborers were pulled away from agricultural work to focus on steel production, which decreased food output and exacerbated food shortages.
3. Many backyard furnaces were constructed using scrap metal and other materials that were not suitable for creating high-quality steel, resulting in much of the output being unusable.
4. The campaign symbolized the ideological fervor of the time, as the government believed that collective efforts could rapidly transform China's economy, but it backfired dramatically.
5. Estimates suggest that tens of millions of people died during the famine caused by the policies associated with the Great Leap Forward, making it one of the deadliest events in human history.

Review Questions

• How did the backyard steel campaign reflect the broader goals of the Great Leap Forward?
  • The backyard steel campaign was a direct reflection of the Great Leap Forward's ambitious goals to rapidly industrialize China and increase production. It represented an attempt to mobilize the entire population in support of these goals, with local communities encouraged to contribute by producing steel. However, while intended to bolster industrial output, it ultimately highlighted the disconnect between ideology and practical realities, leading to disastrous consequences.
• Discuss the implications of diverting labor from agriculture to steel production during the backyard steel campaign.
  • Diverting labor from agriculture to focus on steel production had significant implications for food security in China. As many farmers left their fields to work on backyard furnaces, agricultural productivity plummeted. This shift led directly to food shortages and contributed to a catastrophic famine that claimed millions of lives. The impact demonstrated how misguided policy decisions can have profound effects on a country's population.
• Evaluate the long-term effects of the backyard steel campaign on China's industrial development and agricultural policy post-Great Leap Forward.
  • The long-term effects of the backyard steel campaign were significant in shaping China's future industrial development and agricultural policies. The failure of this initiative forced leaders to reassess their strategies regarding industrialization and agricultural productivity. In its aftermath, China shifted towards more pragmatic economic policies, ultimately leading to reforms that prioritized technological advancement and market-oriented approaches. This transition laid the groundwork for China's eventual economic boom in subsequent decades.

Related terms

Great Leap Forward: A campaign launched by the Chinese Communist Party from 1958 to 1962 aimed at transforming China from an agrarian society into a socialist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization.

communes: Large collective farms established during the Great Leap Forward where resources were shared, and farming was organized on a communal basis, often leading to inefficiencies and poor agricultural yields.

famine: A severe shortage of food that occurred in China between 1959 and 1961, largely resulting from the policies implemented during the Great Leap Forward, including the backyard steel campaign.