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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward

• icebraining 9y ago
  Where in that article is it said that the padding of agriculture numbers and subsequent massive overestimates were the cause of the 50M deaths?
  • oregondan 9y ago
    It's in the section on Famine [1]. Main article [2]. > Although actual harvests were reduced, local officials, under tremendous pressure from central authorities to report record harvests in response to the innovations, competed with each other to announce increasingly exaggerated results. These were used as a basis for determining the amount of grain to be taken by the State to supply the towns and cities, and to export. This left barely enough for the peasants, and in some areas, starvation set in. A 1959 drought and flooding from the Yellow River in the same year also contributed to famine. > During 1958–1960 China continued to be a substantial net exporter of grain, despite the widespread famine experienced in the countryside, as Mao sought to maintain face and convince the outside world of the success of his plans. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward#Famine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward#Famine [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine
    • icebraining 9y ago
      Thanks.
  • prawks 9y ago
    The wiki links to a French article which has quotes from the author of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Maos-Great-Famine-Devastating-Catastrophe/dp/0802779239 https://www.amazon.com/Maos-Great-Famine-Devastating-Catastr...