What circumstances prevented Mao's great leap forward from economic prosperity to china?

During the 1960's Red China and the Soviets, which border each other, were having some disputes. They actually had some border clashes in the 60's...we in the U.S. thought at one time that they might even go at it with nukes. Also people got mad that Mao wanted to create a modern communist society, by agriculturalization and industrialization.