Rise of China – ‘The Great Leap Forward’

0 views
0%



Receive 10% off anything on bellroy.com with our unique link: https://bit.ly/44tOxjV
And don’t forget to check out their YouTube channel @bellroy_offical.

————————————-
In 1949, after decades of revolution, invasion and civil war, Mao Zedong finally takes control of China.

Chairman Mao proclaims it a ‘People’s Republic’, but democracy is not on the agenda. Instead, he  wields absolute power in an authoritarian government determined to rebuild China in line with his communist ideals.

In the years that follow, his regime will oversee the expansion of China’s influence and its transformation into a major player on the international stage. But in his attempts to revolutionise Chinese society, Mao will also unleash catastrophic violence and sow the seeds of humanitarian disaster.

————————————-
Thank you to our series historical consultant, Dr. Lily Chang of University College London. Find out more about her research and teaching here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/history/people/academic-staff/dr-lily-chang

————————————-
📚 Recommended reading:
“The Penguin History of Modern China: the Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850 to the Present” by Jonathan Fenby – US: https://bookshop.org/a/99532/9780141988450 / UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12275/9780141988450
“The Cambridge Illustrated History Of China” by Patricia Buckley Ebrey – US: https://bookshop.org/a/99532/9781009151443 / UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12275/9781009151443
“Hungry Ghosts: Mao’s Secret Famine” by Jasper Becker – US: https://bookshop.org/a/99532/9780805056686 / UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hungry-Ghosts-Paperback-Jasper-Becker/dp/0805056688

You can visit our online bookshop to find great books on China and other Epic History topics:
UK site – https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/epichistorytv
US site – https://bookshop.org/shop/epichistorytv
As a bookshop.org affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases, while donating 10% of sales to support independent bookshops!

🎬 Recommended films:
To Live (1994)

————————————-
Support Epic History TV on Patreon from $1 per video, and get perks like ad-free early access & votes on future topics https://www.patreon.com/EpicHistoryTV

Or join the ranks of the Grognards with our YouTube memberships https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvPXiKxH-eH9xq-80vpgmKQ/join

👕 Buy posters, t-shirts, hoodies, mugs & stickers at our merch store:
https://www.ehtvmerch.com/

————————————-
Posters from chineseposters.net:
Landsberger collection: BG E15/334; BG E15/450; BG E15/669; BG E13/990; BG E37/911; BG E15/614; BG E13/985; BG E13/593

IISH collection: BG E16/17; BG D29/876; BG E16/351; BG E16/329; BG E16/527; BG E48/587; BG E11/992; BG E16/33

Private Collection: PC-195b-017; PC-195a-s-002; PC-1949-s-004; PC-1949-s-004; PC-195a-s-013; PC-195a-005; PC-1951-s-002; PC-1952-002; PC-1958-016; PC-1956-019; PC-1958-024; PC-1958-007; PC-1951-008

#EpicHistoryTV #EpicHistory #History #China #ChineseHistory #Mao #MaoZedong

Date: August 1, 2025

30 thoughts on “Rise of China – ‘The Great Leap Forward’

  1. Mao's ideology basis for the Great Leap Forward followed mainly the pseudo-scientific theories of Trofim Lysenko, (1898-1976) called Lysenkoism. Trofim was a Soviet Agriculturist and one of Stalin's favourite Scientist.

    Lysenko rejected the accepted scientific community of the time's basis of genes and natural selection of living organisms in favour of "Environmental adaption" meaning Lysenko above all believed that living organisms of offsprings could be "educated" over the lifespan of their parent via in layman terms the cells of the parent passing on the yield information onto the offspring to perform the same tasks of yields as their parent.

    In all Lysenko's pseudo-scientific theories can be directly contributed to the Chinese famine of the late 1950s/early 60s.

  2. The Chinese are the ones who should be ashamed of their role in the Korean War because they pinned 1,000,000 Chinese troops against 300,000 American soldiers and it was brought to a stalemate. If the Americans put all of their military on the front line at one time, they could’ve drove the Chinese back, that is if the Chinese couldn’t draft more troops.

Leave a Reply