中國大饑荒(1959-1961)的產生,緣起於大躍進浮誇風導致的誤判;大饑荒的惡化發展,則是基於毛澤東為首的中共對三面紅旗以及社會主義理想的堅持。由大躍進而至大饑荒的發展進程,體現了毛澤東意志的影響。大躍進雖然表現出諸多勞民傷財的弊端,但毛澤東對大躍進的關注與思考,更多是「大好形勢」的表現,由此便導引了中國大躍進形勢的發展方向。在「大好形勢」之中,大饑荒迅速且劇烈地在全國各地惡化蔓延。中共當局大躍進運動的出發點及目標或是為了實現「把中國變成一個偉大、強盛、繁榮、高尚的社會主義、共產主義國家」的理想,但執著於通過階級鬥爭進行社會經濟制度變革,違背經濟發展規律的做法,不可避免造成經濟或政治的種種誤判,導致大躍進淪為大饑荒。
Pompous ambience gave rise to the Great Famine (1959-1961), while the persistence on Three Red Flags policy and socialist ideals by Chinese Communist Party (led by Mao Zedong) worsened the situation of the Great Famine. The process from the Great Leap Forward to the Great Famine reflects Mao Zedong's influence of will. Although the Great Leap Forward demonstrated disadvantages of manpower and treasury exhaustion, Mao Zedong still considering the Great Leap Forward a manifestation of "great situation", which determined the developmental direction of Great Leap Forward in China. In the midst of the "great situation", the Great Famine rapidly and violently worsened throughout the country. The standpoint and goal of the Great Leap Forward Movement of the Communist Party was to realize the ideal of "turning China into a great, strong, prosperous, noble socialist and communist country", but persisting in social and economic system reform through class struggle to law and economic restructure inevitably results in various miscalculations on economic or political decisions, which translated the Great Leap Forward into a famine.