We will constantly update this fact sheet as new evidence becomes available.
1958 to 1962: Mao starves China, murdering 45 million people. Communist China’s Chairman Mao launched what he called “The Great Leap Forward” in 1958. His plan was to herd millions of Chinese into Communes. The result was mass starvation. Historians and demographers have previously estimated the death toll at 20 to 30 million people, but now these numbers must be revised upwards. Frank Dikotter, professor at the University of Hong Kong, spent years rummaging trough the newly available Chinese archives to arrive at the new number — 45 million!
- Additional Source: An article in the New York Times by Professor Dikotter.
- HT: Mark Perry at Carpe Diem.