what was the impact of the great leap forward on china s economy 
while the social and human consequences of the great leap forward were one of the greatest avoidable disasters of modern history the net effect on china s economy may have been positive in the end by setting it on a permanent course to becoming a dominant industrial economy in the years following the end of the program china s industrial and agricultural output increased greatly along with investment and construction activity 8the bottom linethe great leap forward was an ambitious plan for economic development urbanization and industrialization in china during the late 1950s into the 60s the plan however ended up being a disaster during the great leap forward as many as 45 million people died from diseases and famine resulting from mao zedong s failed attempt to convert small family farms to urbanized communes while simultaneously urging them into industrial production and away from agriculture 