Great Leap Forward
EconomyPoliticsDisasterA campaign of rapid industrialisation and collectivisation leads to a great famine that kills tens of millions.
- Date
- 1958 – 1962 · View on map
- Countries
- China
- Regions
- East Asia
- Importance
- ★★★★★
Related events
October 20, 1962 – November 21, 1962★★★★★
Sino-Indian War
China and India fight a Himalayan border war over Aksai Chin and present-day Arunachal Pradesh, ending in a unilateral Chinese ceasefire.
War· India, China
October 1, 1964★★★★★
Shinkansen high-speed rail opens
The Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka opens as the world's first high-speed railway line.
TechnologyEconomy· Japan
October 16, 1964★★★★★
China's first nuclear test
China detonates its first atomic bomb at Lop Nur, becoming the world's fifth nuclear power.
TechnologyWar· China
September 8, 1951★★★★★
Treaty of San Francisco
Japan signs a peace treaty with the Allied powers, ending the occupation when it takes effect in 1952.
Treaty· Japan, United States
June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953★★★★★
Korean War
North Korean forces cross the 38th parallel; the war, drawing in US-led UN forces and China, ends in an armistice in 1953.
War· South Korea, North Korea, China, United States
1966 – 1976★★★★★
Cultural Revolution
Mao Zedong launches a decade-long political movement that brings social upheaval, persecution and the destruction of cultural heritage.
PoliticsRevolutionCulture· China