Okay, future historians, brace yourselves! We're diving into the complex and kind of tragic world of Mao Zedong's collectivisation policy in China during the mid-20th century. Trust me, it's like one huge rollercoaster but without the fun.

• Context: Mao, originally a hero for peasants, prioritized industrialization once he got the power.
• Why: China needed more labor for industrialization by the mid-1950s.
• Real-world example: Think of it like this—if you're building a soccer team and you have great defenders but no strikers, you need to focus on getting those strikers, even if it means neglecting your defenders a bit.

• Issue: Peasants produced food but it wasn't reaching urban areas.
• Blame Game: Planners blamed the peasants for overeating and having large families.
• Mao's Solution: Mao was annoyed with this "peasant obstinacy" and wanted them to eat less so resources could be allocated to industry.
• Real-world example: Imagine you baked cookies for your class but ended up eating half of them. Then you blame your little sister for tempting you. Not cool, right?

• What: Land reforms initially gave land to peasants. But Mao wanted them to pool resources in farm collectives.
• When: Between 1956 and 1958, 750,000 collectives were merged into larger communes.
• How: Mao made collectivisation part of the Great Leap Forward in 1958.
  • 26,000 communes were created.
  • 120 million households were involved.
  • Central government controlled everything, even farming methods.
  • Private farming ended.
  • Peasants needed "internal passports" to move.
• Real-world example: Imagine if every neighborhood lemonade stand was suddenly merged into a giant corporation controlled by the mayor. No more lemonade stand freedom!