What role did Liu Shaoqi play in planning the Great Leap Forward?

During the second session of the Eighth Party Congress in May 1958, Liu Shaoqi played a significant role in the planning of the Great Leap Forward by outlining the strategy for China's second five-year economic plan. This plan was intended to establish the foundation for the country's rapid industrialization.1

Following the initiation of the Great Leap Forward, it became evident that the goals for industrialization were not being met as quickly as anticipated, leading to a period of economic disorganization, waste, and widespread famine. In response to these failures, Liu—who had succeeded Mao Zedong as chairman of the People’s Republic in 1959—worked with other economic planners to implement policies of retrenchment. These recovery efforts included strengthening the role of individual households in agricultural production and utilizing material incentives. While Mao initially agreed that such measures were necessary, he later came to view these policies as a repudiation of the Great Leap strategy, which eventually contributed to the political conflicts that led to Liu's purge during the Cultural Revolution.21