industrial production crashed during the cultural revolution because

many Chinese factories closed, they were replaced by communes and schools. The communes and schools lacked the resources and infrastructure to keep production going and the workers lacked the training and education necessary to operate the machines. This lack of resources and knowledge led to a major decline in industrial production, affecting the entire economy.

of a lack of resources. The government's focus on achievements in the political and ideological realm put economic goals on the back burner. As a result, resources were diverted to these other areas and industrial production dropped significantly. Additionally, many of China's best and brightest scientists, engineers, and technicians were sent to the countryside to perform “hard labor” as part of Mao Zedong’s program to “re-educate” the intellectuals. This left factories and industries with a significantly reduced number of skilled workers, resulting in a further decrease in industrial output.