1. The First Five-year Planand the Great Leap Forward:1949 - 1958 Howard Liu and Isabel Chun

2. December 1949 – Mao and Stalin Mao travelled to Moscow to see Stalin The treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual assistance was made Mao convinced Stalin to give China 300 million dollars worth of aid and 10,000 experts to help the economy

3. 1953 – 1957 : First Five Year Plan Gave priority to heavy industry like steel, coal and machinery 700 new factories were built in Manchuria

4. Cooperative Farms The agrarian Reform Law of 1950 gave land to 300 million peasants Some didn't have enough land or didnt have the tools to farm Mao proposed the Lowerstage cooperatives where 30-50 families would get together, and efficiently farm Lower stage coooperatives made up higher stage cooperatives of 200-300 families 95% of peasants joined higher-stage cooperatives Most of the 300 million peasants who received land was landless again

5. 1956 - Hundred flowers Mao wanted the people to let off steam by saying whatever criticism they wanted “It is only by using discussion, correct ideas, overcome wrong ideas and really settle issues,” said Mao Many people expressed dislike and complaints and Mao was angry January of 1957 – Mao sent those who complained to labour camps The hundred flowers soon ended, and free speech was prohibited and press was censored

6. 1958 – 1963 Great Leap Forward Mao intended that the Chinese economy would overtake that of Britian within 15 years and that of American in 20-30 years Aimed to develop agriculture as well as industry Put Chinese people into communes Communes were groups of villages that contained about 5000 families. Those families gave up their land, their animals and equipment to share with the communes By the end of 1958 about 700 million people wre put into 26,578 communes

7. 1957-8: Backyard Steel Campaign 600,000 backward steel furnaces were put up in towns and village all over China Each furnace was capable of making few tonnes of steel