
“50 years on, Chinese official history insists the famine of 1958-61 was a natural disaster. Agriculture was brutally collectivised, leaving peasants dependent on centrally distributed grain. Local cadres ordered the forced pooling of family kitchens, confiscating all ladles and punishing those who kept private food supplies. Then, as Mao ordered rapid industrialisation during the Great Leap Forward, the grain supplies disappeared. Simultaneously local officials, terrified of failure, began to report fictional bumper harvests. Mao, meanwhile, publicly humiliated any party leader who voiced doubts. The result was the greatest famine in modern history.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20410424
Related posts:
Shock report into FBI errors cast doubt on 27 death penalty convictions
Canada says will keep closer track of Bitcoin, virtual currencies
Canines’ Cancer-Sniffing Snouts Showing 90%-Plus Accuracy
US Relaxes Health Law Income, Insurance Status Rule for Exchanges
St Lucia considers economic citizenship to boost investment
Radio wave-treated water could change agriculture as we know it
Are giant bubbles the key to beating Beijing’s pollution?
75-year-old soybean farmer sees Monsanto lawsuit reach U.S. Supreme Court
California's anti-game senator Leland Yee arrested for corruption
8 Chinese police officers fired for skinny dipping at tourist destination
Whitaker police officer charged over threats to motorist
Warren Buffett Is Winning Fans in China
Defense Industry Leans On Congress — Avoid Cuts, Even If It Means More Taxes
Democrats Retreat on Civil Liberties in 2012 Platform
Doctors eradicate girl’s cancer by reprogramming HIV