Mao Zedong and the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution

When I was young, the Chairman promised us all food. He promised that we would never go hungry again or be without work; my family was led to a village where we became members of a production team. We worked hard, long hours but we were fed every day. The commune prospered at first, but soon people did not meet their quotas and we did not increase our production. We all received the same amount of rice; it didn't matter how much work we did. With the new Chairman, things are different in our village. The government has given us plots of land to work as our own, though I still put in time as a commune worker. We can now keep the amount we produce above the quota set by the government. This has made most of us work harder and the government quotas are being met for the first time.

––Conversations with a Farmworker (1986)

Under the Chairman mentioned in the first paragraph, which economic idea was introduced to increase production?

• scarcity

• tax reform

• capitalism

• collectivism

When I was young, the Chairman promised us all food. He promised that we would never go hungry again or be without work; my family was led to a village where we became members of a production team. We worked hard, long hours but we were fed every day. The commune prospered at first, but soon people did not meet their quotas and we did not increase our production. We all received the same amount of rice; it didn't matter how much work we did. With the new Chairman, things are different in our village. The government has given us plots of land to work as our own, though I still put in time as a commune worker. We can now keep the amount we produce above the quota set by the government. This has made most of us work harder and the government quotas are being met for the first time.

––Conversations with a Farmworker (1986)

According to the first paragraph, which is most likely the reason agricultural production quotas were not met?

• The workers felt threatened by the government.

• The workers had little to gain by working hard.

• The workers were hungry and could not work.

• The workers were young and inexperienced.

East is RedThe east is red, the sun is rising,China has brought forth a Mao Zedong,He amasses fortune for the people,Hurrah, he is the people’s great savior.Chairman Mao loves the people, He is our guide, To build a new China, Hurrah, he leads us forward!The Communist Party is like the sun, Wherever it shines, it is bright, Wherever there is a Communist Party, Hurrah, there the people are liberated!

This 1960s Chinese song would most likely have been sung during the

• return of Hong Kong

• Cultural Revolution

• Boxer Rebellion

• Tiananmen Square incident

East is Red

The east is red, the sun is rising,

China has brought forth a Mao Zedong,

He amasses fortune for the people,

Hurrah, he is the people’s great savior.

Chairman Mao loves the people,

He is our guide,

To build a new China,

Hurrah, he leads us forward!

The Communist Party is like the sun,

Wherever it shines, it is bright,

Wherever there is a Communist Party,

Hurrah, there the people are liberated!

What is the main idea of this 1960s Chinese song?

• The Sun will never set on Chinese communism.

• Communist policies will liberate Mao Zedong.

• The Chinese people will become wealthy under communism.

• Mao Zedong will lead the Communist Party in building a new China.

What was an immediate result of the Great Leap Forward (1958)?

• independence of Kenya from Great Britain

• the breakup of the Soviet Union

• the relocation of Bosnian refugees

• increased famine in China