Hungary Ghosts

Jasper Becker in “ Hungary Ghosts: Mao’s Secret Famine False Science, False Promises,” failed to give a clear direction as to how the relationship should be between government and the scientific community. Though Becker made it clear on why science and government should not interact with one another she didn’t actually give a clear understanding on how government should play a role in the scientific world or when the government has gone to far in the scientific world. Becker made it clear through this piece though on how Mao and the government in place at the time were no scientists and by acting as though they were scientists that the country itself suffered.

Mao was a leader that may have had all intentions of giving China all that he had to offer in decisions and how to improve China as a whole but he proved himself to be no scientist. “ There are six things that every man should hate, haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, The false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.” ( Proverbs) Mao had done this to all his people because he was so int

everyone, as if there was no one beside you... You shouldn’t care, but act recklessly and it will be all right.” (119) Mao wasn’t frightened by the fact that his interpretation of science and what he felt the science community needed at that time was killing millions of his people and leading his country into a state of despair. The quotation above states that if you act daringly and recklessly that success will shortly follow but in Mao’s case it didn’t. It didn’t follow shortly because Mao never considered thinking his plans through and deciding whether more good or more bad would come of the situation if he put his idea into effect. Instead Mao let people know his idea and the government ordered for it to be done regardless of what the people felt should be done. Mao decided that the scientific community would prosper in their steel production first. So the government ordered that everyone hand in all metal objects they owned from bicycles to iron bedside posts. Mao then realized that the metal that was collected could unfortunately not be used. He realized that he would never be able to collect enough metal to produce such things as tractors, ploughs, and other mechanical things that China needed in the scientific community. So the government then thought of other ways that they might be able to bring China out of the great famine. Mao proceeded to tell all farmers that the production of grain had to increase but failed to realize that the soil of China has greatly been damaged by all these plans that he and the government had put into effect. So once again he greatly disappointed not only himself but his people after the grain failed to grow.

a perspective person that his people could look up to. The Great Leap Forward program that Mao had tried to put in effect showed that in a way he was trying to help save his people and his country from the despair that they were put in but intent and actually making something happen through hard work, dedication, and passion is another. Mao put forth hard work but he put it forward in all the wrong directions. His carrying out of his ideas caused millions of deaths that could have been prevented and a devastation to a nation that didn’t know any other way but suffering and hard work that brought them to another dead end.

when Mao came to visit their fields. The peasants worked hard to have Mao believe that they were following his wishes when in fact they were not. To fertilize peasants began to throw everything into their fields believing that more stuff that they added to the dirt would turn it into better soil for growing. This unfortunately wasn’t the case and changed a lot of ways of living for the peasants. They were no longer able to walk the fields barefoot as they had before because they were afraid of getting cut by broken glass or getting sick to bad living conditions. As for the innovation of tools

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