The Great Leap Forward was an economic and social campaign initiated by the Chinese Communist Party from 1958 to 1962. Its goal was to rapidly transform China from an agrarian society into a socialist society through industrialization and collectivization. The campaign aimed to increase agricultural and industrial production, but it led to widespread inefficiencies and mismanagement. As a result of the Great Leap Forward, China experienced one of the deadliest famines in history, with millions of people estimated to have died from starvation. The campaign ultimately failed to achieve its goals and was abandoned, leading to significant changes in China's economic policies in the following years.