Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Great Leap Forward was a social and economic campaign launched by the Communist Party of China (under Mao Zedong) in 1958.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The campaign had two main objectives:
1. Industrialization: It aimed to industrialize the country on a massive scale. People were encouraged to set up "backyard industries" in their own courtyards to produce steel and other industrial goods.
2. Commune System: In rural areas, the "Commune System" was introduced. Under this system, land was collectively owned and cultivated by large groups of people (communes). By 1958, there were about 26,000 communes covering almost all the farm population.
Despite its ambitious goals, the GLF faced problems like a severe drought and industrial mismanagement, leading to a massive famine.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The GLF was a campaign for rapid industrialization and collective farming through the commune system in China.