# How the Great Leap Forward Triggered Mass Famine

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/cautionary-tales-of-history-7615031/how-the-great-leap-forward-triggered-mass-famine
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/cautionary-tales-of-history-7615031/how-the-great-leap-forward-triggered-mass-famine.md
Podcast: [Cautionary Tales of History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/cautionary-tales-of-history-7615031)
Published: 2026-07-19T02:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/cautionary-history/episodes/69b06dc8fd2a350ef0aa2609
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/697414156c5100c2bbfc0643/e/69b06dc8fd2a350ef0aa2609/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/cautionary-tales-of-history-7615031/episodes/how-the-great-leap-forward-triggered-mass-famine
Duration seconds: 533

## Resource

In this episode, we explore how Chairman Mao's ambitious Great Leap Forward campaign led to one of history's deadliest famines, resulting in the deaths of 15 to 30 million Chinese citizens. We discuss the catastrophic consequences of ideological extremism, impossible quotas, and the disconnect between utopian visions and grim realities in China from 1958 to 1962. Chapters 00:00 The Great Leap Forward Begins 03:37 Mao's Vision and Fatal Flaw 04:00 The Mechanism of Deception 06:44 Catastrophic Outcomes and Legacy Get the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: ⁠⁠https://aibox.ai Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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