In Class Paper 1

1a. What evidence is there in Source C of the limitations of the Great Leap Forward 1958-59?

-The people in this picture don't appear to look very happy, thus they might not be motivated to work.

-There is no food shown anywhere in the picture- there is a lot of dirt.

-It looks as though it is a very hot day, which can be seen by the sun shining in, which maybe be a limitation cause the men are dressed in pants, and they might be really hot and not able to work to their maximum capacity.

1b. Why, according to Source A, was there a fall in the grain output after 1957?

-There were floods in some areas.

-Other areas suffered from droughts.

2. Compare and contrast the views expressed in Sources D and E about the Great Leap Forward in China in 1958-59.

-Source D and E both mostly agree that the Great Leap Forward was a failure, however Source E focuses specifically on the problems with agriculture, whereas Source D mentions the agriculture as well as talking about the lives of the people effected. Source E talks about the effect of the industry on the women and children, whereas Source D focuses on the life of the peasants. Also, Source D views the Great Leap Forward as two leaps, separated from 1958 and 1959-1960, and Source E only focuses on the year of 1958.

3. With reference to their origin and purpose, assess the value and limitations of Source A and Source B for historians studying the Great Leap Forward in China 1958-1961.

The origin of source A is an excerpt from a talk, "Restore Agricultural Production," by Deng Xiaoping who was the General Secretary of the Communist Party. The purpose of this talk was to encourage the people that they need to find a way of restoring the grain production, so that they can get their good back from the droughts and floods. Because the origin of this source is a speech, there may be a limitation in that he is making things seem a bit different than they actually are (either not as bad, or better), and therefore the people may not be receiving the entire truth. However, the purpose of this talk provides a value because it is trying to get the people of China to improve their lives and come out of the terrible famine that they were experiencing.

The origin of source B is an excerpt from a book, entitle "The Complete History of China," which was published in 2003 in the United Kingdom. the purpose of this book is to give an alternative view as to why the Great Leap Forward failed. The origin of the book provides a limitation because it is not written by a Chinese person, but rather it is published in a text book, so it is not a first hand account, and some of the interpretations may have varied throughout different countries. However, the purpose of the source provides a strength because it is stating that it is looking for alternative viewpoints in the very first sentence.

4. Using these sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with the statement in Source D that the Great Leap Forward "proved an unmitigated (total) disaster for the Chinese economy and people"?

All of these sources seem to back up the quote from source D that the Great Leap Forward proved an unmitigated disaster for the Chinese economy and people.

Although Source A does not directly state that the Great Leap Forward was a disaster, it talks about the terrible conditions and famine as a result of it. This supports that the Great Leap Forward hurt the economy, because grain production decreased a tremendous amount, as well as hurting the people, because people were without food and money.

Source B does directly state that the Great Leap Forward was a failure, and it gives insight as to the different reasons that it failed. Thus, source B gives the same opinion as Source D does.