"Classes struggle, some classes triumph, others are eliminated. Such is history; such is the history of civilization for thousands of years." - Mao Zedong
The legacy of the Great Leap Forward was the loss of millions of lives at the time. Around 25-30 million people died due to the famine and change in lifestyles during the time. Infant mortality increased to 35 million and the Chinese population decreased majorly, creating another problem. This problem is that the amount of money the Chinese government lost. The government spent billions on goods that were almost worth nothing creating an economic distress on to the government. The Chinese government had lost 54% in their national income and this also made prices go up for crops nationwide. As an example, nationwide, the total cost after the Great Leap Forward was 12.7 Billion Yen, but it was supposed to be 7 Billion Yen instead. As Chairman Mao implemented these Agricultural "innovations", it created a huge decrease in value. Such as deep-ploughing and close-cropping failed as a result of the Great Leap Forward, making the output value decreasing by 36%. Since the decrease in population and crops, it made consumption of grain, wheat etc. go down by 22%. Chairman Mao execution of the Great Leap Forward created an economic and emotional struggle upon China and the Chinese People. Soon, this lead to the next Genocide, called the "Cultural Revolution". After the Great Leap Forward ended, Mao remained in his pursuit of socialism. However, the Chairman clung tight to his ideals, creating a rift between him and his Party. Since, there was a "rift" between him and his party, Mao Zedong went on for his beliefs creating the next genocide called the Cultural Revolution.
"Any mistakes that the Centre has made ought to be my direct responsibility, and I also have an indirect share of the blame because I am Chairman of the Central Committee. I don’t want other people to shirk their responsibility, but the person primarily responsible should be me." - Mao Zedong, 1959, at the Lushan Confrence