Final answer:
The Chinese government implemented the Great Leap Forward in 1958 to industrialize the country and increase agricultural output, which led to disastrous results, including famine and economic difficulties.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1958, the Chinese government implemented the Great Leap Forward policy in hopes of rapidly developing China's industry and increasing its agricultural output. Inspired by the Soviet Union's industrial plans, Chairman Mao Zedong aimed to transform China into an industrial powerhouse. The strategy involved the collectivization of agriculture, where over twenty-five thousand communes were created. These communes consisted of several thousand families tasked with simultaneously increasing agricultural production to fund industrial growth. However, the Great Leap Forward was a disastrous plan that led to a severe decline in agriculture, with estimates of tens of millions of deaths from famine and economic failure, causing many to question the effectiveness of central economic planning.