Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History
Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015
The communes and their organisation; communal living; the abolition of…
Full specification wording
Agriculture and industry, 1949–65: The communes and their organisation; communal living; the abolition of private farming; Lysenkoism; the Great Famine of 1958–62; the restoration of private farming by Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping.
From 1958 the people's communes merged collectives into large units combining agriculture, industry, education and militia.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 4
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
From 1958 the people's communes merged collectives into large units combining agriculture, industry, education and militia. Organisation was military-style: production brigades and teams, communal mess halls, nurseries and barracks, with private plots and markets abolished. Communal living disrupted family life and incentives. Lysenkoism, promoted by Mao, rejected genetics in favour of acquired characteristics, damaging crop breeding. These policies, with bad weather and exaggerated reporting, caused the Great Famine of 1958–62, killing millions. From 1961–62 Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping restored private plots, free markets and household responsibility, raising output. Assessed by explaining features, causes and consequences, using evidence and interpretations.
What earns the marks
- Commune organisation: large units combining agriculture, local industry, education, militia and welfare, with production brigades and teams below them.
- Communal living: mess halls, nurseries, and barracks-style accommodation replaced household cooking and childcare, disrupting family life and reducing incentives.
- Abolition of private farming: private plots, livestock and rural markets were banned, so peasants lost independent income and had less reason to work hard.
- Lysenkoism: Mao backed Lysenko's anti-genetic theories, such as vernalisation and acquired characteristics, which damaged crop breeding and contributed to poor harvests.
- Great Famine of 1958–62: caused by commune disruption, Lysenkoism, bad weather, exaggerated harvest reports and continued grain procurement; millions died.
- Restoration of private farming by Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping: from 1961–62 they allowed private plots, free markets and household responsibility, which improved output and was later criticised by Mao.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating the famine as solely caused by bad weather.
Put it right by explaining the interaction of commune policies, Lysenkoism, exaggerated reporting and procurement with natural conditions.
Assuming communes only affected farming.
Put it right by noting they reorganised living, education, militia and local industry as well as agriculture.
Confusing Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping's restoration with a full return to private farming.
Put it right by explaining it was a partial restoration of private plots, markets and household responsibility within the collective system.
Exam tips
- Use specific features of communes: mess halls, brigades, teams, private plot bans, and the 1958 formation date.
- For the famine, explain multiple causes and avoid monocausal claims; link policy failures to procurement and reporting.
- When discussing Liu and Deng, state what they restored and why Mao later opposed it, showing change over time.
Try the lesson
The start of the Agriculture and industry, 1949–65: The communes and their organisation; communal living; the abolition of private farming; Lysenkoism; the Great Famine of 1958–62; the restoration of private farming by Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which agricultural policy, adopted during the Great Leap Forward, was based on the discredited theories of a Soviet agronomist?
Listen
From 1958 the people's communes merged collectives into large units combining agriculture, industry, education and militia. Organisation was military-style: production brigades and teams, communal mess halls, nurseries and barracks, with private plots and markets abolished. Communal living disrupted family life and incentives. Lysenkoism, promoted by Mao, rejected genetics in favour of acquired characteristics, damaging crop breeding. These policies, with bad weather and exaggerated reporting, caused the Great Famine of 1958–62, killing millions. From 1961–62 Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping restored private plots, free markets and household responsibility, raising output. Assessed by explaining features, causes and consequences, using evidence and interpretations. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Commune organisation: large units combining agriculture, local industry, education, militia and welfare, with production brigades and teams below them. Communal living: mess halls, nurseries, and barracks-style accommodation replaced household cooking and childcare, disrupting family life and reducing incentives. Abolition of private farming: private plots, livestock and rural markets were banned, so peasants lost independent income and had less reason to work hard. Lysenkoism: Mao backed Lysenko's anti-genetic theories, such as vernalisation and acquired characteristics, which damaged crop breeding and contributed to poor harvests. A common slip: Treating the famine as solely caused by bad weather. Instead, explaining the interaction of commune policies, Lysenkoism, exaggerated reporting and procurement with natural conditions. Exam tip: Use specific features of communes: mess halls, brigades, teams, private plot bans, and the 1958 formation date.
Key words
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Collectivisation and communal living
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Ideology and science under Mao
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Famine and state extraction
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Policy reversal and inner-party conflict
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See every definition
- Collectivisation and communal living
- Large units merged collectives and combined agriculture, industry, education and militia, with mess halls, nurseries and barracks disrupting family life and incentives.
- Ideology and science under Mao
- Mao promoted Lysenkoism, which rejected genetics in favour of acquired characteristics and damaged crop breeding.
- Famine and state extraction
- The Great Famine of 1958–62 killed millions, caused by commune disruption, Lysenkoism, bad weather, exaggerated harvest reports and continued grain procurement.
- Policy reversal and inner-party conflict
- From 1961–62 Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping restored private plots, free markets and household responsibility, raising output, which was later criticised by Mao.
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