Like wildfire, Communism spread through Eastern Europe and East Asia in blazing record. Its reach would go as far as the Western Hemisphere, though its greatest reach would be that of China. With the military success of the Communist Party of China in 1949, the die had been cast for the decades of Chinese history to come. A new age dawned, with Mao Zedong as its creator and leader His Communist party would industrialize China and bring it to be a contending world power, but not without a sacrifice made of blood and sweat.

To rid the world of the "evil" labeled by the Communist Party of China, the communist government would seize land for redistribution and crops for state revenue. All private land ownership was abolished piece by piece, a shared commune for multiple families now taking its place. Rice and other foods were rationed to "discourage" the waste of precious food. To fuel the industrialization of China, the Communist Party of China required its citizens to melt their pots and pans or any metal they deemed to be scrap metal.

Then came forth the four-year scourge, the "Great Leap Forward." Its ideals for industrialization would be realized but at the detriment of 20 to 45 million Chinese. The Communist Party of China's intent of industrialization led to its neglect of its fields. Its crops would rot waiting to be harvested while its people would starve waiting to eat. For China, a great journey to industrialization had been achieved. But for its innocent victims, their misfortunes would stay their feet. They would be left behind.

Text by Carlos Morales