Sarah Paine

There are more Chinese civilian deaths

than all deaths in World War II.

And then for those of you who think the Chinese are all great long-term strategists, you need to ponder these numbers.

How is it possible to kill so many of your own?

That's generally not a mark of good strategy.

Moreover, most of them died during the Great Famine, which was the only nationwide famine in Chinese history.

Why?

Because it's not caused by the weather.

It's caused by policies set in Beijing.

During the Great Leap Forward, Mao put all the peasants on communes.

That meant the party was in control of the food supply, i.e.

who lives and who dies.

You don't get a meal, you're very dead.

In addition, he decentralized industry, and you can see these backyard furnaces pictured here,

As a result of this, production collapses, agriculture and industrial, but Mao keeps exporting food.

Why?

Because that's his pocket change.

That is a major source of government income if he wants to be able to do anything.

So they keep exporting food.

As a result, 40 million Chinese starved to death, primarily in rural areas and disproportionately peasant girls, the least valued members of society.