What was a major consequence of the Great Leap Forward in China?

• A. Accelerated food surplus
• B. Massive famine and starvation
• C. Improved rural development
• D. Balanced regional growth

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the Great Leap Forward aimed to rapidly transform China’s economy through collective farming and mass production, but these changes disrupted agriculture and led to a devastating famine. Collectivization and the push for backyard steel, along with forced grain requisitions to feed cities and fund industrial work, reduced the incentive to farm effectively and wasted resources. Local officials, pressured to meet highly ambitious targets, often exaggerated outputs, leaving central planners unable to respond to actual conditions. When harvests failed, there were few reserves or buffers, and millions starved in the ensuing years. So, the major consequence was a massive famine and widespread starvation—far from any surplus or improved rural development, and not balanced regional growth.