The Great Leap Forward was a five-year economic plan initiated by China's then-Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong in 1958. The goals of the program were to modernize China's economy and create a "communist socialism" self-sufficient society. The plan involved the reorganization of China's agricultural sector, focusing on production quotas, communes, and other socialist economic ideologies. Additionally, there was an increased emphasis on industrialization, with projects such as the construction of steel foundries and other manufacturing-based infrastructure.

Unfortunately, The Great Leap Forward failed to stimulate the Chinese economy, due to a complete lack of central planning, leadership, and economic understanding on the part of Mao and the CCP. This mismanagement led to a massive economic and ecological destruction, as well as a country-wide famine. Subsequently, this failed social experiment lead to the deaths of between 30 and 45 million people. This mysterious ‘population drop’ remained hidden from world for many years, and was only revealed during the late 20th century.

Not only did The Great Leap Forward lead to massive starvation and death, it also caused destruction of China’s environment, with industrial workers diverting huge amounts of resources for steel production. Common villages and fields transformed into industrial production units, disrupting the already fragile food production of the nation. This resulted in a massive drop in agricultural productivity, leading to dramatic food shortages for most of the population during 1959-1962.

The Great Leap Forward stands as a prime example of the dangers of centralized government and economic planning policies. The consequences of the party’s social experiment had severe and long-term implications for China, both economically as well as socially. Despite economists surveying and studying the experiment since the early 1980s, the impacts of The Great Leap Forward remain difficult to calculate. 45 million people dead and an entire generation of children were scarred for life, with decades of economic damage, The Great Leap Forward will remain an infamous disregard for human life.