Why did Mao Zedong launch the Great Leap Forward?

Mao Zedong launched the Great Leap Forward in 1958 primarily to accelerate China’s industrialization and resolve agricultural challenges by bypassing the traditional, slow process of capital accumulation.1

Key motivations included:

• Dissatisfaction with the Soviet Model: Mao grew uncomfortable with the Soviet Union’s centralized, urban-biased, and capital-intensive development model, which he felt was ill-suited to China’s dense population and lack of agricultural surplus.12
• Belief in Mass Mobilization: Influenced by the success of rural cooperatives, Mao became convinced that the "limitless capacity" of the Chinese people—specifically the rural masses—could transform nature and society if properly mobilized for revolutionary goals.3
• Simultaneous Development: He sought a "walking on two legs" strategy, aiming to develop industry and agriculture simultaneously by converting China’s massive labor surplus into a productive force through the creation of people’s communes.12
• Ideological Purity: Mao prioritized ideological commitment over technical expertise, aiming to prevent the development of a rigid, stratified bureaucracy and to maintain the egalitarian spirit of earlier revolutionary eras.132