Timeline 1958 The Great Leap Forward begins. 1959 Lushan Conference, USSR stops assistance to China for their nuclear programme. 1961 Sino-Soviet split 1962 The Great Leap forward ends. The Socialist Education Movement begins 1964 China’s first nuclear bomb developed. 1966 Cultural Revolution begins 1967 China builds its first hydrogen bomb. 1969 Skirmish with USSR over … Continue reading Maintenance of Power 1957-76