Explain the Commune system.

The Commune system in China was a radical experiment in collective farming and communal living implemented during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, primarily in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Inspired by Mao Zedong's vision of achieving a classless, egalitarian society, the Commune system aimed to eliminate perceived remnants of feudalism and enhance agricultural productivity.

Communes were large-scale, collective organizations that brought together agricultural and sometimes industrial activities. Peasants pooled their land, tools, and labor, living communally and working on shared fields. The system sought to eradicate traditional family structures, promoting a communal way of life in both rural and, in some cases, urban areas.

Despite initial enthusiasm, the Commune system faced numerous challenges. Productivity often suffered due to the inefficiencies of collective decision-making, and the disruption of traditional farming practices led to food shortages. Communes were eventually dismantled in the late 1970s as part of Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms, which shifted towards a more decentralized, household-based agricultural system known as the Household Responsibility System. The Commune system's legacy remains as a symbol of the excesses and failures of radical collectivist policies in Chinese history.