People's communes
Topic: Paths to Modernisation: Japan, China, Korea · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Paths to Modernisation"
Meaning
People's communes were large rural units in China, set up in 1958 under the Great Leap Forward. In a commune, land was owned and farmed collectively, which means together, not by single families. The aim was to raise farm output and support rapid industrial growth. The communes became the centre of China's village life under Mao.
Example
In 1958, China had 26,000 communes, covering 98% of the farm population. When problems appeared, leaders such as Liu Shaochi and Deng Xiaoping tried to change how the communes worked.
Don't confuse with
- Jiangxi soviet (1928–34): This was an earlier Communist base area. There, land was redistributed to peasants, not farmed collectively in communes.
Related concepts
- Communist Party of China
- Comintern
- Mao Zedong
- Long March
- People's Republic of China
- Great Leap Forward
- Cultural Revolution
- Deng Xiaoping
- Four Modernisations
- Socialist market economy