Question

Which reason is accountable for the death of nearly three crore people in China’s famine of 1958-1961?
A)Absence of democracy
B)Presence of democracy
C)Weak economic set-up
D)Government’s negligence

Answer 1

Hint: 1)The famine occurred in the mainland of China.
2)It is regarded as one of the deadliest famines in the world’s history.
3)It was a man-made disaster.

Complete answer:
Option A – Absence of democracy was the main factor for the occurrence of the famine in the country. It occurred during the period of 1958 to 1962 and affected approximately 3 crore of the population. The prominent reason of the famine was the regular changes in the agricultural regulations as directed by the government including social pressure, mismanagement of the economy and the occurrence of natural disasters such as droughts and floods in the farming areas. So, it is the correct answer.

Option B - Presence of democracy is defined as the right of the citizens to be involved in the decisions made by the government. It works on the principle stating ‘of the people, for the people and by the people’ and it was absent during the famine in China. So, it is not the correct answer.

Option C – Weak economic set-up has been already included in the absence of democracy. So, it is not the correct answer.

Option D – Government negligence is not the appropriate reason because the regular changes made by them was the main factor for the famine. So, it is not the correct answer.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A)

Note: The natural disaster, i.e. flood which occurred during the famine was from the Yellow River in China.
The famine was also named as ‘Three Years of Great Famine’ and ‘Three Years of Difficulty’.
In order to recover the original scenario in China two prominent movements were taken and they are Cultural Revolution and Socialist Education Movement.