Arrange the following developments in China in chronological order:
(A) Commune lands divided into small plots and allocated to individual households
(B) Communes started in rural areas
(C) Reforms in the industrial sector, with township and village enterprises allowed to produce goods
(D) Students and professionals sent to work and learn from the countryside
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (B), (D), (A), (C)
Place each development in its period:
(B) Communes started in rural areas — under the Great Leap Forward of 1958.
(D) Students and professionals sent to the countryside — the Cultural Revolution, 1966-76.
(A) Commune lands divided into plots for households — the initial phase of the 1978 reforms, in agriculture.
(C) Industrial reforms, with township and village enterprises producing goods — the later phase of the reforms.
NCERT (2026-27): “8.2 Developmental Path—a Snapshot View … The Great Leap Forward (GLF) campaign initiated in 1958 aimed at industrialising the country on a massive scale. People were encouraged to set up industries in their backyards. In rural areas, communes were started. Under the Commune system, people collectively cultivated lands. In 1958, there were 26,000 communes covering almost all the farm population. GLF campaign met with many problems. A severe drought caused havoc in China killing about 30 million people. When Russia had conflicts with China, it withdrew its professionals who had earlier been sent to China to help in the industrialisation process. In 1965, Mao introduced the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966–76) under which students and professionals were sent to work and learn from the countryside. The present day fast industrial growth in China can be traced back to the reforms introduced in 1978. China introduced reforms in phases. In the initial phase, reforms were initiated in agriculture, foreign trade and investment sectors. In agriculture, for instance, commune lands were divided into small plots, which were allocated (for use not ownership) to individual households. They were allowed to keep all income from the land after paying stipulated taxes. In the later phase, reforms were initiated in the industrial sector. Private sector firms, in general, and township and village enterprises, i.e., those enterprises which were owned and operated by local collectives, in particular, were allowed to produce goods. …” |