Beidaihe Conference (1958)
The Beidaihe Conference was a series of meetings held in August 1958 in Beidaihe, a seaside resort in Hebei Province, People's Republic of China. These meetings, attended by key leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), marked a critical juncture in the Great Leap Forward, a radical and ultimately disastrous economic and social campaign launched by Mao Zedong.
The primary focus of the Beidaihe Conference was the acceleration of the Great Leap Forward. Decisions made during the conference included:
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Communalization of Agriculture: The conference endorsed the rapid collectivization of agriculture into larger "People's Communes." These communes were intended to combine agricultural production, industry, commerce, education, and military affairs, aiming to achieve self-sufficiency at the local level.
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Unrealistic Production Targets: Ambitious and often unrealistic production targets were set for both agriculture and industry, particularly for steel production. These targets were often based on ideological fervor rather than practical feasibility.
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Backyard Furnaces: The conference promoted the widespread construction of small-scale "backyard furnaces" for steel production. Farmers and other citizens were encouraged to melt down metal objects, regardless of their practical use, to meet the inflated steel quotas.
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Expansion of Capital Construction: The conference called for a massive expansion of capital construction projects, including irrigation schemes and infrastructure development, often undertaken without adequate planning or resources.
The Beidaihe Conference is widely considered to have exacerbated the negative consequences of the Great Leap Forward. The unrealistic production targets, the diversion of labor and resources to inefficient projects like backyard furnaces, and the disruption of agricultural practices contributed to widespread famine and economic hardship in the following years. The conference enshrined a climate of unrealistic optimism and discouraged dissent, making it difficult to correct the course of the Great Leap Forward until after significant damage had been done.