The
Three Years of Great Chinese Famine , referred to by the
Communist Party of China as the
Three Years of Natural Disasters , the
Difficult Three Year Period or
Great Leap Forward Famine, was the period in the
People's Republic of China between the years 1959 and 1961 characterized by widespread
famine. Drought, poor weather, and the policies of the
Communist Party of China contributed to the famine, although the relative weights of the contributions are disputed due to the
Great Leap Forward.