A Review of the Iron and Steel Making Movement in Inner Mongolia

Abstract

Baotou Iron and Steel Corp (referred to as Baotou Steel) set off the boom of "Steel Making" movement in the "Great Leap Forward" period. In the anti-waste movement, Baotou Steel passively modified the original design, let rich ore directly going into the furnace, completed advance tapping iron; Driven by "Taking Steel as the Key Link" , the Inner Mongolia started "soil law steel" climax, "Large medium and small" Baotou Steel was forced to launch, the region’s small blast furnaces blossomed everywhere, the situation of Inner Mongolia "Steel Making" movement which cantered on Baotou Steel formed. This article combs the history of "Steel Making" in Baotou Steel and Inner Mongolia through local newspapers, collections, archives and some of the party’s memoirs. This movement led to the completion of Baotou Steel and laid the foundation for the great development of Inner Mongolia industry. However, the guiding ideology of "quick success and instant benefit" violated the development law of iron and steel industry avrd a series of technical decision-making failures led to a major setback for the steel industry, such as Baotou steel.