KIM
JONG IL
SOCIALISM IS A SCIENCE
Treatise
published in Rodong Sinmun, organ
of the
Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea
November 1, 1994
Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea
November 1, 1994
Socialism is a science. Socialism
has been frustrated in a number of
countries, but scientific socialism is as
alive as ever in the minds of the people.
The imperialists and reactionaries are
fussing about the “end of socialism”, with
regard to the events in some countries which
had been building socialism.
The
renegades of socialism try to justify their
despicable betrayal, claiming that the ideal
of socialism itself is invalid. However,
the truth cannot be concealed or
obliterated. The crumbling of socialism in
various countries does not mean the failure
of socialism as science but the bankruptcy
of opportunism which has corrupted
socialism. Although socialism is temporarily
experiencing a heart-rending setback because
of opportunism, it will without fail be
revived and win ultimate victory for its
scientific accuracy and truth.
1
Socialism is the ideal and the
revolutionary banner of the popular masses
who are fighting for independence. The
masses achieve their independence by means
of socialism and communism.
The people’s independence was
ruthlessly trampled upon in the hostile
class society. Where there is oppression,
there will be resistance; where there is
resistance, revolution will break out. The
popular masses have vigorously struggled to
win their independence for a long time.
During this, class societies have changed
and the struggle of the masses for
independence has developed. However, the
only changes brought about when hostile
class societies were replaced, were in the
forms of oppression of the popular masses’
independence; the masses were not freed from
social and political subordination.
The failure to attain the masses’
independence in hostile class societies was
because all these societies were based on
individualism. Individualism is the product
of private ownership. Society, based on
private ownership and its product,
individualism, inevitably splits into
hostile classes, produces class antagonism
and social inequality, and is accompanied by
the exploitation and oppression of the
popular masses by a small ruling class.
History shows that independence for the
masses cannot be realized in a society based
on individualism. A historical review of the
development of human society proves that, in
order to realize the masses’ independence, a
society based on individualism must be
replaced by a society based on collectivism,
by socialism and communism.
Capitalism has turned
individualism into the unlimited greed of a
handful of capitalists; it has precipitated
antagonism in the society of individualism
to the utmost. Meanwhile, the masses’
struggle for independence has entered a new
stage of development. Ours is an age of
independence, when the popular masses have
emerged as masters of their own destiny, as
masters who dominate the world. This shows
that the transition of a society based on
individualism to a society based on
collectivism is an inevitable demand of
historical development.
Collectivism is man’s intrinsic
need. People can exist and develop only
when they work as a social collective.
People can transform nature and society and
meet their desire for independence, not as
individuals, but only through collective
cooperation among members of society. If
people are to live in a social collective,
they must meet both the collective and
individual demands for independence. The
collective demand for independence is the
common requirement of members of society for
the existence and development of the social
collective. The individual need for
independence is the need as an equal member
of a social collective; it is the need which
should naturally be met through collective
efforts in return for his contribution to
society. The individual need for
independence fundamentally differs from
selfish greed, which ignores the collective
and subordinates everything to the interests
of an individual. Both the collective and
individual needs for independence can be
satisfied to the fullest only through
collectivism. Individual demand divorced
from collectivism becomes selfish greed.
Such greed encroaches upon the demands of
other members of the collective for
independence, and hampers the unity and
cooperation of the collective. Collectivism
alone makes it possible to strengthen the
unity and cooperation of the collective, to
stimulate the creative zeal of all
collective members and to properly combine
both the collective and individual demands
for independence and thus fully meet them.
Because working in a social collective is
the mode of man’s existence, and because
man’s demand for independence can be
satisfied only through collectivism, society
based on collectivism, socialist and
communist society, is the most progressive
society which conforms with man’s
independent nature.
Certainly, collectivist
principles are not fully applied in all
spheres of social life immediately after the
establishment of a socialist system, because
in socialist society the vestiges from the
old society remain for some time. The
survival in socialist society of the
remnants of the outmoded societies is a
passing phenomenon. With the development of
socialism, these vestiges are gradually
overcome and collectivist principles are
implemented more fully in all areas of
social life.
Although socialism is an
inevitable stage of historical development
and socialist society is the most
progressive one which conforms with man’s
independent nature, socialism will never be
realized spontaneously. In order to realize
socialism, we must prepare the revolutionary
forces capable of doing this and evolve a
correct method of struggle. Unless the
revolutionary forces and the method of
struggle are prepared, the desire for
independence of the popular masses who
aspire after socialism will remain a mere
wish.
The idea of eliminating
exploitation, oppression and social
inequality, as well as the private ownership
on which these are based, and of setting up
an equal society based on public ownership,
was put forward by utopian socialists a long
time ago. However, the utopian socialists,
despite their sympathy for the misery of the
exploited working masses, failed to see them
as the revolutionary force capable of
burying the exploitative society and
building a new society. They considered
that the irrational aspects of capitalist
society could be corrected by enlightening
people and appealing to the “good will” of
the exploiter class. It is an unscientific
illusion to expect “good will” from the
exploiter class, whose nature is greed. The
utopian socialists’ expectation of “good
will” from the exploiter class was their
historical limitation.
The exploiter class and their
stooges put forward the “theory of class
cooperation” and tried to block the struggle
of the exploited working masses against
exploitation and oppression. Within the
communist movement, reformists and
revisionists demanded “class cooperation”
and seriously harmed the revolutionary
movement. Today, traitors to socialism are
also clamouring for a return to capitalism,
harbouring illusions about capitalism and
expecting “aid” and “cooperation” from the
imperialists. History shows that to expect
“good will” or “class cooperation” from the
exploiter class is to make a mess of the
revolution.
Marxism combined the demands of
working people who aspire to socialism, with
revolutionary forces and a revolutionary
fighting method. Marxism made clear that
contradictions existed between the
productive forces and relations of
production in capitalist society; that these
contradictions could be resolved through the
class struggle of the exploited working
people against the exploiter class; and that
the working class would take charge of and
lead this class struggle. Thanks to
Marxism, the inevitability of the collapse
of capitalism and the victory of socialism
was proved, and the demands of exploited
working people who aspire to socialism were
linked with practical revolutionary forces
and a revolutionary fighting method capable
of meeting their demands. Socialism was
thus converted from a utopian scheme into a
science, and a revolutionary change took
place in the history of humanity’s struggle
for liberation.
However, the theory of socialism
in the preceding age, based on a materialist
outlook on history, was not free from
historical limitations. This theory did not
regard the social and historical movement as
a movement of the motive force, as a
movement which begins and develops on the
initiative and through the role of the
popular masses, its motive force, but as a
natural historical process which changes and
develops due to material and economic
factors. According to the materialist
outlook on history, the more the productive
forces develop in a capitalist society, the
more intensive the incompatible
contradictions between the productive forces
and relations of production and the
antagonism between the exploiter class and
the exploited class grow, the more the
working class and other revolutionary forces
develop in strength and, accordingly, the
more the revolution matures. Seeing material
and economic factors as fundamental in the
revolutionary struggle, the preceding theory
of socialism failed to raise the task of
strengthening the motive force of the
revolution and enhancing its role as the
basic way to carry out the revolution.
As for the influence exerted by
the development of productive forces in
capitalist society, we must not approach it
from only one side. The development of the
productive forces in capitalist society
intensifies the bipolar differentiation
which results from the increasing imbalance
between rich and poor. It sharpens class
contradictions, while at the same time, it
provides the monopolists with increasing
possibilities to spend part of their high
profits on soothing class contradictions.
In addition, the development of the
productive forces results in the expansion
of the rank of industrial workers by their
incorporation of peasants and other petit
bourgeois classes, and also in an increased
proportion of workers engaged in mental and
technical labour in the productive sectors,
as well as those in non-productive sectors.
Of
course, objective conditions have a great
influence on the revolutionary struggle.
But the decisive factor in the victory of
the revolution lies not in objective
conditions, but in how to strengthen the
motive force of the revolution and how to
raise its role. Whether in a developed
capitalist country or an underdeveloped one,
socialism can emerge victorious if the
motive force of the revolution is
strengthened and its role enhanced through
efficient work. History shows that socialism
first triumphed in relatively backward
countries, not in the countries where
capitalism had developed. The experience of
our revolution, which has advanced under the
banner of the Juche idea, shows that if we
strengthen the motive force of the
revolution and enhance its role, we can not
only avail ourselves of the given objective
conditions but also turn unfavourable
objective conditions into favourable ones
and ensure the victory of the revolution by
turning a misfortune into a blessing.
The limitations of the preceding
theory based on the materialist outlook on
history have been revealed more clearly in
the course of socialist construction since
the establishment of the socialist system.
In general, the more a society
develops, the greater the role played by the
popular masses, the driving force of social
movement, becomes. This is because their
independent consciousness and creative
ability increase with the development of
society. The role of the popular masses as
the driving force of social movement is
raised to an unprecedented level in
socialist society. Socialist society
develops thanks to the creative power of the
popular masses, who are armed with a high
level of consciousness and are united as
one. In socialist society, the
transformation of man, his ideological
remoulding, becomes a more important and
primary task than that of creating the
material and economic conditions of
socialism. Only when precedence is given to
the transformation of man, will it be
possible to strengthen the driving force of
the revolution and increase its role, and
thus build socialism successfully. If the
ideological remoulding of the popular masses
is regarded as a matter of secondary
importance and the work of strengthening the
driving force of the revolution and
enhancing its role is neglected in socialist
society, while attaching decisive importance
to the objective material and economic
conditions and concentrating only on
economic construction, the building of
socialism as a whole cannot be carried out
properly and economic construction itself
cannot avoid stagnation. These practices
were very apparent in some countries which
had been building socialism in the past.
Taking advantage of this, the renegades of
socialism carried out “reforms” and
committed counterrevolutionary acts,
destroying the socialist economic system
itself.
In the past, the founders of
Marxism evolved socialist theory by putting
the main stress on material and economic
conditions. This is to do with the fact that
it was regarded as an important historical
task to disprove the bourgeois reactionary
theory which consecrated capitalism and
preached its “eternity”, while maintaining
mysticism and fatalism. But now, the
renegades of socialism are advocating the
material-is-almighty doctrine and the
economy-is-almighty doctrine in order to
restore capitalism, of which they harbour
illusions.
Putting socialism on a new
scientific basis was regarded as a very
urgent task, not only to overcome the
historical limitations of the preceding
theory of socialism, but also to defend
socialism against all kinds of opportunist
distortions and imperialist attacks.
The historical task of putting
socialism on a new scientific basis was
successfully solved by the great leader
Comrade Kim Il Sung, who created the
Juche idea and, on this basis, evolved an
original socialist theory. The respected
Comrade Kim Il Sung discovered the
philosophical principle that man is the
master of everything and decides
everything. He explained a new law which
governs social movement, the movement of the
motive force, and he thus put socialism on a
new, scientific basis. The socialist and
communist cause as clarified by the Juche
idea is the cause of the popular masses for
their complete independence. Socialism as
scientifically systematized by the great
leader Comrade Kim Il Sung is
man-centered socialism and socialism centred
on the masses. Ours is a socialism where
the popular masses are the masters of
everything, where everything serves them,
and which is developing through their united
efforts. The Juche-orientated theory of
socialism scientifically clarified the
essence of socialism and the law governing
its development, by placing man at the
centre. On this basis, the theory explained
that if the building of socialism is to
succeed, a vigorous struggle must be waged
to occupy the two fortresses of socialism
and communism, the ideological and material
fortresses, and that here, absolute
precedence must be given to the struggle to
take the ideological fortress.
The scientific accuracy and truth
of the Juche-orientated theory of socialism
have been proved by the practical experience
of our revolution. Our people began to wage
the struggle for socialism in the backward
circumstances of a colonial semi-feudal
society. They had to carry out the
revolution and construction under unusually
difficult circumstances. Despite this, our
Party could successfully blaze the trail for
socialism by constantly making its main task
that of firmly uniting the popular masses
around the Party and the leader,
organizationally and ideologically, as
required by the Juche idea, thus
strengthening the driving force of the
revolution and enhancing its role. our
Party is increasing the political and
ideological might of our revolution in every
possible way by giving definite priority to
the transformation of man, to ideological
remoulding, in all work in the building of
socialism, while at the same time,
strengthening our self-reliant national
economy and defence. As a result, it is
vigorously advancing the revolution and
construction without vacillation, even under
the present complex circumstances.
Practical experience clearly shows that our
socialism, the embodiment of the Juche idea,
is the most scientific and viable socialism.
2
Our
socialism is based on the Juche-orientated
view of and attitude to man.
The view of and attitude to man
are the basic questions concerning what view
and attitude one has in one’s understanding
of the development of society and the
revolution. They constitute the standard
for the scientific character and validity of
ideas and theories, and of lines and
policies. The scientific character and
truth of our socialism lies in the fact that
it is based on the absolutely correct,
Juche-orientated view of and attitude to
man.
The Juche idea has given a
scientific definition of man’s essential
qualities, for the first time in history.
Understanding man’s essential
qualities is not merely a matter of science
but a socio-political issue which reflects
class interests. Throughout history,
serious philosophical arguments have taken
place on this issue between progressive and
reactionary classes.
The reactionary ruling classes
and their mouthpieces distorted man’s
essential qualities in the interests of the
exploiting class in order to justify their
exploitative society. Philosophical
arguments on man’s essential qualities
formerly boiled down to two dominant views;
one regarded man as a spiritual being and
the other considered him a material being.
According to the religious, idealist view,
which regards man as a purely spiritual
being, man is a product of a certain
supernatural, mysterious being and his
destiny is also decided by the latter. By
means of their religious idealist view of
man, the reactionary ruling class and its
spokesmen preached that the miserable lot of
the working masses who suffered exploitation
and oppression was their unavoidable fate
and therefore, they had to submit to their
predestined lot. The view which regards man
as simply a natural, biological being makes
it impossible to understand the qualitative
difference between man, who acts
purposefully and consciously under the
regulation and control of consciousness, and
a biological being which is governed by
instinct. The reactionary ruling class and
its spokesmen used this view to justify
capitalist society, which is ruled by the
law of the jungle. Having recourse to the
reactionary viewpoint and attitude towards
man, the renegades of socialism are
restoring capitalism through the
introduction of bourgeois liberalism and the
capitalist market economy.
Man is neither a purely spiritual
being nor a simple biological being. Man is
a social being who lives and acts in social
relationships. The fact that man is a
social being is the major quality which
distinguishes him from other biological
beings.
Marxism defined man’s essential
quality as the ensemble of social
relations. This definition rendered a
historic service by shattering the
unscientific, reactionary view which
regarded man as a purely spiritual being or
a simple biological being. However, the
definition of man’s essential quality as the
sum total of social relations does not
provide a comprehensive elucidation of man’s
own essential qualities. Consequently, it
cannot correctly explain the relations
between man and the world, or the position
and role of man in the world.
The Juche idea has, for the first
time, found a scientific solution to the
question of man’s own essential qualities.
On this basis, it has thrown a new light on
his position and role in the world.
In the past, too, many attempts
were made to elucidate man’s essential
qualities by dealing mainly with his own
features, for example, attempts to define
man as a speaking, working, or thinking
being. These attempts, however, all dealt
with some aspects of man’s actions, which
are the expression of his essential
qualities.
Man is a social being with
independence, creativity and consciousness.
Herein lie his essential qualities.
Independence is an attribute of
social man, who wants to live and develop
independently as the master of the world and
his destiny, free from any fetters or
restrictions. Creativity is an attribute of
social man, who transforms the world and
shapes his destiny purposefully and
consciously in order to meet his needs.
Consciousness is social man’s attribute. It
regulates all his activities for
understanding and transforming the world and
himself. Independence and creativity are
ensured by consciousness. Man is
distinguished qualitatively from animals,
which act instinctively, in that he conducts
independent and creative activities with
consciousness. The course of man’s
activities is the process whereby he
expresses his independence, creativity and
consciousness. Independent, creative and
conscious activities constitute man’s mode
of existence.
Man as a social being with
independence, creativity and consciousness
is inconceivable outside his developed
organism, especially his highly developed
brain. His developed organism is the
biological basis of his independence,
creativity and consciousness. However, the
organism itself does not give birth to
independence, creativity or consciousness.
Man’s independence, creativity and
consciousness are social attributes which
are formed and developed through a
socio-historical process, where he acts in
social relationships.
Because he has independence,
creativity and consciousness, man can shape
his destiny through his own efforts. The
fate of a biological being depends on how it
adapts itself to its objective environment.
A biological being is a part of nature and
its fate is decided by objective
environments, so to speak. Unlike biological
beings, man is the master and transformer of
the world. He shapes his destiny on his
own, by transforming the objective world to
meet his needs. With the development of his
independence, creativity and consciousness,
man’s position and role as the master and
transformer of the world are strengthened.
This is expressed in his transformation of
nature and society. As man’s independent
ideological consciousness and creative
ability develop and his role increases,
social wealth increases and social relations
improve. In historical development, each
generation starts with the social wealth and
social relations created by its
predecessors, in other words, with the
existing objective conditions, and uses
these. These objective conditions have an
important effect on social development, but
these conditions themselves are the
historical product of man’s independent,
creative and conscious activities. They are
also used and developed by man. Favourable
as the existing objective conditions may be,
if the independence, creativity and
consciousness of man, who exploits and
develops these conditions, are not high and
brought into full play, society cannot
develop quickly. Even if objective
conditions are disadvantageous, society can
rapidly develop when man’s independence,
creativity and consciousness are high and
put into full effect. This means that the
historical process of social development is
decided by the level of development and of
mobilization of man’s independence,
creativity and consciousness. For a long
time, the exploited working masses wanted to
live in an equitable, new society free from
exploitation and oppression, but they could
not fulfil their desire in the past because
their independent ideological consciousness
and creative ability were not high and their
role was at a low level. Man transforms
nature and society and develops history.
With the rapid development of his
independent ideological consciousness and
the enhancement of his role, the development
of society and history is promoted and the
revolution and construction are successfully
speeded up. The history of social
development is, in the long run, the history
of the development of man’s independence,
creativity and consciousness, so to speak.
Because he is independent,
creative and conscious, man is the most
precious and powerful being. Man is the
only master and remaker of the world.
Nothing in the world is more precious or
powerful than man.
However, bourgeois reactionaries
do not regard man as the most precious
being, but as a means for material
production and an insignificant being who
possesses only labour power, which is bought
and sold as a commodity. They also consider
him a powerless being dominated by money,
not as a powerful being who shapes his
destiny through his own efforts. The
betrayers of socialism are restoring
capitalism and eliminating all the popular
policies established by socialism. They
regard unemployment and poverty as means for
pressurizing people, in order to force them
to compete, and in order to increase labour
intensity. They grovel at the feet of
imperialists, expecting “aid” and
“cooperation” from Western capitalist
countries, instead of believing in the
strength of their people. All this is due
to their reactionary bourgeois view of man.
Man-centred socialism is based on
Juche-orientated socio-historical
principles, which provided a new scientific
clarification of the law of socio-historical
development, by focusing on man. Socialism
centred on man is the most scientific
socialism. It makes everything serve man
and solves every problem by enhancing his
creative role, based on the Juche-orientated
view of and attitude to man. Our socialism
champions and thoroughly ensures man’s
independence, and quickly improves and gives
full play to his ideological consciousness
and creative ability in order to strengthen,
as never before, the position and role of
man as the master and transformer of the
world, and to press on with the revolution
and construction.
The Juche idea also newly
clarified the essence and the value of man’s
life.
When man is regarded as an
organic body, his life means a physical
life. However, he is not a being who only
leads a physical life. The Juche idea
indicated, for the first time in history,
that a man has socio-political integrity, as
well as a physical life. Physical life is a
man’s life as an organic body, whereas
socio-political integrity is a man’s life as
a social being. Socio-political integrity
is the life which is unique to man as a
social being.
For a man, physical life is
valuable. Only when he has a physical life,
can he acquire socio-political integrity.
In this sense, we can say that the material
life which implements the demand for
physical life is the life which implements
his primary needs. As man is a social being
who is different from a simple biological
being, his demand for material life
constantly increases as his independence,
creativity and consciousness develop and as
society develops. His material life affects
his socio-political integrity. A stable and
sound material life fully guarantees his
demand for physical life, and at the same
time, it constitutes a material guarantee
for the maintenance and development of his
socio-political integrity.
For a man, physical life is
precious, but his socio-political integrity
is more precious. It is the intrinsic need
of man as a social being to value his
socio-political integrity more than his
physical life. If a man only seeks to
satisfy his demand for physical life, and
not his demand for a socio-political life,
his life can never be an honourable one, no
matter how affluent he is. Such a material
life will be reduced to a deformed and
abnormal life, no better than an animal
life, and will run counter to man’s
intrinsic nature.
Independence is the life and soul
of man. Man, an independent social being,
desires to live independently, free from any
subordination or shackles. The fact that
man lives independently means that he lives
as the master of the world and of his own
destiny, maintaining his position and
exercising his rights as such. Only when
man lives as a social being, exercising his
right to independence and implementing his
demand for independence, can he be said to
enjoy a dignified life, maintaining
socio-political integrity. If he loses his
independence and is subordinated to others,
he is as good as dead socially and
politically, even though he is alive. Man’s
desire to live independently is realized,
first of all, through an independent
political life. When man is subordinated
socially and politically, he cannot lead any
kind of independent life.
As socio-political integrity is
man’s most precious life, a noble life for
him is to maintain and exalt socio-political
integrity. Man receives socio-political
integrity from the social collective.
The social collective is the
parent body of man’s socio-political
integrity.
Therefore, the worth of man’s
life depends on how he is connected with the
social collective. Man’s life becomes
noble when he is loved and trusted by the
social collective; it is worthless when he
is forsaken by it. Man enjoys the love and
trust of the social collective when he
considers the interests of the social
collective to be dearer than those of
individuals and when he faithfully serves
the social collective. In the final
analysis, the greatest value and worth of
man’s life is to lead an independent and
creative life, enjoying the love and trust
of the social collective, while at the same
time combining his own destiny with that of
the social collective and serving it heart
and soul. This is the way for man to
enhance his socio-political integrity and
lead a worthy human life as a social being.
Today, the bourgeois
reactionaries and renegades of socialism
regard the exploitation and domination of
man by man as something normal and consider
man as a base being who only pursues his own
material desires. This clearly demonstrates
the reactionary nature of the bourgeois
viewpoint and attitude towards the essence
and worth of man’s life.
True human life, which enables
everyone to enhance their most precious
socio-political integrity and fully meet the
demands of their physical life, can only be
realized admirably in a socialist society
based on collectivism. In this society,
people are free from all manner of
exploitation and oppression, domination and
subordination and can lead an independent
and creative life in social, political and
all other areas. In socialist society, we
must organize people’s organizational and
ideological life properly, as well as their
cultural life, in order to enable them to
lead an independent and creative life, with
a high consciousness and an ability which
befits the masters of society. People can
make great contributions to society and the
collective and lead a worthy life as proud
members of society and the collective, only
when they are fully equipped with an
independent consciousness and have
comprehensively developed creative ability,
through their revolutionary organizational
and ideological life and their moral and
rich cultural life.
Our
socialism is genuinely man-centred
socialism. It regards man as most precious
and fully meets his intrinsic requirements.
It thus enables everyone to keep and greatly
enhance their socio-political integrity. It
also fully meets the demands of their
physical life. Man-centred socialism
enables all members of society to live in
harmony, enjoying the love and trust of
society and the collective, and to lead a
completely noble and worthy life, while
working devotedly for society and the
collective with a high degree of
consciousness and creative ability.
3
Our
socialism is based on the Juche-orientated
view of and attitude towards the masses of
the people.
The
truth and advantages of socialism are
demonstrated in the people’s support of and
trust in it. Now that our socialism is
based on the Juche-orientated view of and
attitude towards the masses of the people,
it has become the most advantageous and
powerful socialism and enjoys the people’s
absolute support and trust.
The
masses of the people are the motive force of
history. The masses of the people means a
united social community which centres on
working people, due to their common demand
for independence and creative activity.
The
phrase “the masses of the people” assumes a
class character in class society. An
exploiter society is divided into the
exploiter class and the exploited class, or
the ruling class and the ruled class,
depending on who owns the means of
production and who controls state power.
The exploited class, the ruled class, forms
the majority of the masses of the people.
The class structure of the masses of the
people is not immutable. It changes as
social history develops. In capitalist
society, not only workers and peasants, but
also working intellectuals and many other
classes and strata which champion and
struggle for independence, form the masses
of the people. In socialist society, all
people are transformed into socialist
working people, so everyone is a member of
the masses of the people. Of course, in
socialist society, too, the manoeuvres of
minor hostile elements continue and traitors
may appear in the revolutionary ranks.
Therefore, it is also necessary in socialist
society to clearly distinguish between the
masses of the people and elements hostile to
them.
The
phrase “the masses of the people” reflects a
social and class relationship, but it is not
merely a class concept. Naturally, the
masses of the people consist of different
classes and strata. In order to distinguish
whether one is a member of the masses of the
people or not, his social and class status
should be considered, but this must not be
regarded as absolute. Man’s ideas and
behaviour are not subject solely to the
influence of his social and class status.
If he undergoes revolutionary influence and
acquires progressive ideas, he can serve the
masses of the people regardless of his
social and class status. The basic
criterion for deciding whether one is a
member of the masses of the people or not is
not one’s social and class origin, but one’s
ideas. The ideological foundation on which
to unite people from all walks of life into
the masses of the people is not just the
idea of socialism and communism. Anyone who
loves the country, the people and the nation
can serve the people and accordingly, is
qualified to be a member of the masses of
the people.
From
such a point of view, at every stage of the
revolution, the great leader Comrade Kim
Il Sung united everyone who was
ideologically ready to serve the fatherland,
the people and the nation into one
revolutionary force, and he successfully
carried out the revolution and
construction. Our Party trusts people of
different classes and strata who are
interested in the revolution. It considers
them everlasting companions, not chance
fellow travellers, on the road to
revolution, and it is leading them along the
road to socialism and communism.
The
class nature of the imperialists and
reactionaries makes them antagonistic to the
masses of the people. Accordingly, they are
afraid of the word “people” itself.
Frequently using the word “nation”, they try
to cover the class confrontation and
conflict of capitalist society. The
traitors to socialism also try to disguise
their anti-popular manoeuvres with the word
”citizen”. They purport to be building a
“society for citizens”. It is true that one
can often hear reactionaries and traitors
hypocritically using the word “people”. But
those hostile to the people, the betrayers
of the people, cannot hide their
anti-popular nature, just because they use
the word “people”. “People” is a noble word
that only those who are faithful to the
people, can say proudly, the communists who
fight and devote themselves wholly to the
interests of the masses of the people.
The
great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung
regarded the people as “Heaven”, since his
youth. He ensured that the country, the
army, monuments and many noble and beautiful
things in the country were named after the
people. Because our socialism regards the
people as such valuable beings, it has
become a socialism centred on the masses,
the most advantageous socialism which fully
embodies the demand of the people for
independence.
The
masses of the people are the masters of
everything in society. This is because
everything in society is created by the
masses of the people.
The
popular masses possess the greatest creative
power for transforming nature and society.
An individual’s strength and wisdom are
limited, but those of the popular masses are
unlimited. If there is an omniscient and
omnipotent being in this world, it is none
other than the popular masses. By drawing on
their unfathomable strength and wisdom, the
masses create everything in society, they
advance history and drive the revolution
forward.
The
popular masses transform nature, develop the
productive forces and create material
wealth. Of course, the capitalist class
takes an interest in developing the
productive forces in order to gain more
profit, but capitalists do not create
material wealth with their own hands .The
masses create ideological and cultural
wealth directly, and also produce
progressive thinkers, prominent scientists
and talented men of art and literature. The
exploiter class also put forward their own
ideological and cultural mouthpieces, but
the ideas and culture they produce obstruct
a moral social life and development. The
masses transform society. The reactionary
exploiter class is only interested in
maintaining and consolidating the outmoded
exploitative system, not in social
transformation. The farce of “reform” staged
by the ruling bourgeoisie is essentially
aimed at extricating themselves from the
crisis of capitalism. Social transformation
on progressive lines can only be carried out
by the awakened and united popular masses.
Since everything in society is created by
the masses, they must naturally be the
masters of everything. Only in socialist
society, where state power and the means of
production belong to the people, can the
masses be the real masters of everything in
society.
Since
they are the masters of everything in
society, the popular masses must occupy the
position of masters. They must exercise
their rights, fulfil their responsibility
and role as masters and enjoy a worthy and
happy life as masters.
As
they are the masters of everything in
society, the popular masses must hold the
position of masters and exercise their
rights as such.
The
popular masses’ desire for independence is
to occupy the position of masters and
exercise their rights as such. Independence
is the lifeblood of the masses, and their
independent status and right to independence
are the basic conditions on which their
destiny depends. As they are the masters of
state and society, the popular masses must
occupy the position of masters and exercise
their rights as such in politics, the
economy, culture and in all other fields of
social life.
In
order to thoroughly champion and implement
the popular masses’ independence, it is
necessary to formulate all lines and
policies by making them reflect the masses’
desire for independence and carrying them
out in reliance on the efforts of the
masses.
The
popular masses’ desire for independence is
the criterion for judging the correctness of
lines and policies. The only way to avoid
subjectivism and tortuous events in the
revolution and construction is to mix with
the masses and listen to what they want.
The masses are teachers of everything. The
masses’ desire for independence, when
integrated into a system, will become ideas,
lines and policies. When formulating its
lines and policies, the working-class party
must always go among the masses and listen
to their desires. In doing their work,
officials must also begin by listening to
the masses’ desires. Even in complex and
difficult circumstances, our Party has been
able to establish the best socialist system
and develop it continuously, because it has
laid down its lines and policies by going
among the masses. It is also because it
reflected the masses’ desire for
independence in its policies and carried
these out by relying on their efforts. This
is the secret of the triumphant advance of
socialism in our country, an advance which
has been made along an absolutely scientific
path, without the slightest deviation or
setback.
In
order to champion and realize independence
for the popular masses, we must totally
safeguard the independence of the country
and nation.
Our
Party’s consistent revolutionary principle
is to achieve independence in politics,
self-sufficiency in the economy and
self-reliance in national defence. Our Party
and our people have treasured the
independence of the country and nation.
They have thoroughly implemented the
revolutionary principle of political
independence, economic self-sufficiency and
self-reliant national defence despite the
pressure of the imperialists and
dominationists. They have thus firmly
safeguarded national sovereignty and dignity
and continue to advance. They consistently
adhere to their convictions and hold the
socialist banner high.
The
imperialists now violently interfere in
other countries’ affairs and trample upon
other nations’ sovereignty. They try to
justify these acts under the excuse of
“defence of human rights”. Human rights can
not be conceived separately from the
independence of countries and nations. Human
rights can never be ensured for people who
are dominated by foreign forces. Human
rights are rights to independence which must
be exercised by the people in the political,
economic, ideological, cultural and all
other spheres of social life. The “human
rights” advertised by the imperialists are
privileges of the rich, privileges to do
anything on the strength of money. The
imperialists do not recognize the right of
unemployed people to work, or the right of
orphans or people without support to eat and
survive, for instance, as human rights. As
they do not grant working people elementary
rights to existence and as they pursue
anti-popular policies and policies of racial
and national discrimination and colonialism,
the imperialists have no right to speak
about human rights. The imperialists are the
most heinous enemy of human rights. They
violate the people’s right to independence
and interfere in the internal affairs of
other countries on the pretext of “defending
human rights”. We will never tolerate any
imperialist interference or arbitrariness
aimed at infringing upon the sovereignty of
our country and nation, which we will
staunchly safeguard.
The
popular masses, as the masters of everything
in society, should fulfil their role and
responsibilities.
Only
then can they defend their position and
rights as befitting masters. The revolution
and construction are undertakings for the
popular masses and are their own
undertakings. They must be responsible for
and must solve all problems arising in the
revolution and construction through their
own efforts.
In
order to make the popular masses fulfil
their responsibility and role as masters of
everything in society, their consciousness
as masters should be enhanced. To this end,
priority should be given to ideological
transformation and political work, over all
other undertakings. This is an intrinsic
requirement of socialist society. In
socialist society, where the popular masses
are the masters of state and society, the
main driving force of social development is
the high revolutionary enthusiasm and
creative initiative of the masses, who are
equipped with independent ideological
consciousness and who are united rock-firm
behind the Party and the leader. It is only
when all members of society are transformed
in a communist way and their revolutionary
zeal and creative initiative are boosted by
giving priority to ideological
transformation and political work, that they
can press on with the revolution and
construction and fully demonstrate the
advantages of socialism. In socialist
construction, therefore, efforts must always
be concentrated on educating the masses of
the people and on boosting their
revolutionary enthusiasm and creative
activeness, by giving priority to
ideological transformation and political
work. There is no other master-stroke for
propelling socialist construction than that
of giving priority to ideological
transformation and political work, in order
to enhance the role of the masses. Trying
to move a man by means of money contradicts
the intrinsic nature of socialist society;
the advantages of socialism cannot be
demonstrated by that method. Such a
capitalist method cannot enhance the
people’s revolutionary enthusiasm or
creative initiative and, worse still, it may
degenerate the socialist system itself and
throw it into jeopardy. By giving definite
priority to ideological transformation and
political work, our Party could dynamically
advance the revolution and construction and
display the advantages of socialism to the
full, relying on the masses’ great
revolutionary enthusiasm and creative
initiative. The high revolutionary zeal and
creative initiative of the popular masses,
who are united firmly behind the Party and
the leader, is the source of the strength on
which our socialism centred on the masses
can demonstrate its advantages and
invincibility as the most scientific
socialism.
In
order to make the masses of the people
fulfil their responsibility and role as the
masters of everything in society, their
creative strength should be cultivated.
This is an important matter to which primary
attention should always be given in the
revolution and construction. As the popular
masses create everything in society, the
success of the revolution and construction
depends on how to train the people into
powerful beings. Training them into powerful
beings means developing their creative
ability along with their independent
consciousness. In capitalist society, the
popular masses’ demand to boundlessly
develop as independent and creative beings
cannot be realized properly. The
imperialists and capitalists need slaves who
produce surplus value and follow them
obediently, not independent and creative
people who have been brought to their
independent consciousness and who are
developed in many ways. That is why they
resort to every possible means and method to
degrade working people into slaves of
capital, degenerating them ideologically and
deforming their creative ability. The
popular masses’ demand to develop into
independent and creative beings can be fully
realized only in socialist society. Our
Party has established the most superior
socialist education system and a system
under which the entire population studies.
It is running these at the expense of the
state and society, and is thus brilliantly
carrying out the task of bringing up all
members of society as full-fledged builders
of socialism and communism. As a result,
our people are pressing on with socialist
construction and they are solving every
problem through their own efforts and wisdom
under the banner of self-reliance even in an
extremely difficult situation.
The
masses of the people must enjoy a worthwhile
and happy life as the masters of everything
in society.
Material
life occupies an important place in their
worthwhile and happy life. It forms the
basis of social life. As they are the
masters of state and society in socialist
society, the masses of the people should
lead an affluent and civilized life. By
stepping up economic construction, our Party
has consolidated and developed the socialist
economic system and built a powerful
socialist and independent national economy.
It has thereby laid solid foundations for
satisfying the people’s material life
through our own efforts. The potential of
the independent national economy we have
built up through self-reliance and fortitude
is quite enormous; it is a valuable asset
for providing a moral and stable material
life for everyone. We must continuously
invest great effort into the construction of
the socialist economy, in order to further
strengthen the country’s economic power and
steadily improve our people’s standard of
material life according to socialist
demands.
What
is essential for the masses in their
worthwhile, happy life is to lead a
dignified life, while adding lustre to their
socio-political integrity and enjoying the
love and trust of the social community.
Naturally,
the people need to live such a life, but
this is impossible in the exploiter
society. The exploitation and oppression of
man by man is incompatible with love for and
trust in the people; there cannot be genuine
love and trust between the exploiter and the
exploited. In capitalist society, the
personal value of man has been converted
into an exchange value and is appraised by
means of money and wealth. Here, love for
and trust in the masses is inconceivable.
The bourgeois reactionaries’ advocacy of
love which transcends class is a crafty act
to disguise the reactionary nature of the
capitalist exploiting society and to pacify
contradictions between classes. The
preceding theory of the working class laid
bare the reactionary nature of the
hypocritical love which transcends class,
advocated by the bourgeois reactionaries.
It made clear that, in class society, love
also assumes a class character. The fact
that love assumes a class character does not
mean that love and trust can be exchanged
only between people of identical social and
class status. The relationship of love and
trust between people can be established
between those who, despite the difference in
their social and class status, fight
together to defend the independence of the
popular masses and who carry out creative
activities together.
When
the socialist system is established, class
contradictions are eliminated and
relationships between people are transformed
from those of contradictions and mistrust
into those of love and trust. In socialist
society, love and trust flourish in the
social community and between its members and
among the individuals in society; they are
demonstrated in the most sublime form
between the leader and his men. When all
members of society proudly maintain their
socio-political integrity with the result
that the leader and his men, and the Party
and the people are all tied by love and
trust and the whole of society has been
transformed into socio-political organism,
their life is the most worthwhile and
beautiful life. The society that has
realized this is a most solid and dynamic
society.
Socialism
centred on the masses fully embodies
comradely unity and cooperation and the
relationship of love and trust in all
spheres of social life. It transforms
politics into politics of love and trust.
Love and trust constitute the essence of
politics in socialist society, where the
masses of the people have been transformed
from objects of politics to the masters of
politics. We call the politics of love and
trust, benevolent politics. Although the
imperialists embellish bourgeois politics
and sling mud at socialist politics,
clamouring about things like the
“multi-party system” and “parliamentary
democracy”, black cannot be made white.
Bourgeois politics, as a plutocracy, are the
harsh and crafty politics of oppression and
plunder.
In
order to realize genuinely benevolent
politics in socialist society, a political
leader who unfailingly loves the people must
come forward.
A
political leader of socialism should be a
master in leadership but, first of all, he
must be a man of virtue who loves the people
boundlessly. This is simply because
socialist politics is, in essence,
benevolent politics. An incompetent
political leader of socialism may bring
about a delay in the development of
socialist society, but one who has no virtue
may betray the people and even lead
socialism to ruin.
If
the politics of love and trust are to be
exercised in socialist society, the
socialist party in power must be built into
a motherly party.
The
working-class party is the leading political
organization of society; accordingly, the
way the state organs and all other
organizations in socialist society serve the
people relates to how the party is built.
Building the party as a motherly party is a
prerequisite for making state organs and all
other organizations in socialist society
into servants of the people. Building the
party as a motherly party means that the
party should become a genuine guide and
defender of the people, which takes
meticulous care of the destiny of the
popular masses under its charge, just as a
mother deeply loves her children and looks
after them warmly. In the past, the party
was regarded mainly as a weapon in the class
struggle. The working-class party should
naturally wage class struggle; however, all
Party activities must, to all intents and
purposes, proceed from a boundless love for
and trust in the people. It must give
priority to defending the people’s interests
and it must fight against those who violate
their interests. Not a few parties lost the
support and trust of the popular masses and
came to an end in the long run. This is
because they were not built as motherly
parties which take warm care of the destiny
of the people under their charge. They
degenerated into bureaucratic parties which
wielded power and abused their authority.
If
the socialist ruling party is to be built as
a motherly party, all cadres and party
members should be educated in the spirit of
boundless love and sincere service for the
people.
In
order to sincerely serve the people, one
must first think of the people before
oneself and regard the pleasure and pain of
the people as one’s own. Loyal service to
the people is a communist’s sacred duty.
Herein lies the true value of communist’s
life. A man who works for the revolution
enters the working-class party not for his
self-interest, fame or authority, but to
serve the people more faithfully. Those who
undergo hardship before anybody else, and
put it before pleasure, and who take charge
of difficult tasks on their own, while
giving credit for success to others – they
are the true communists and members of the
working-class party. In order to bring up
those party members, ideological education
should be intensified among them so that
they serve the people devotedly.
It is
important while building the socialist
ruling party as a motherly party to
thoroughly transform the cadres in a
revolutionary fashion and to actively
struggle against the abuse of power,
bureaucracy, irregularities and corruption
among them, which are the main factors that
obstruct the implementation of benevolent
politics in socialist society. Socialism is
opposed to all privileges. With the
establishment of the socialist system, the
privileged class disappears. As long as the
people possess state power and the means of
production, the privileged class cannot come
into being in socialist society. But if a
struggle is not waged against the abuse of
power, bureaucracy, irregularities and
corruption in socialist society, some
ill-prepared cadres can deteriorate
ideologically and become divorced from the
masses, and thus grow into a privileged
class. However good the policies pursued by
the party and state may be, they cannot be
carried out properly if the cadres resort to
abuse of power and to bureaucracy, because
all policies of the party and state are
implemented through the cadres. If the
cadres exercise privileged power, act
bureaucratically and indulge in
irregularities and corruption, the socialist
party in power will lose the support and
confidence of masses and, without their
support, the party cannot maintain its
existence. The historical lesson shows that
it is tantamount to digging its own grave
for the socialist ruling party to tolerate
the abuse of power bureaucracy,
irregularities or corruption among the
cadres.
Our
Party saw through the danger of the
deviations that could manifest themselves in
a ruling party early on, and it has
tirelessly struggled against them. Under
the Party’s slogan, “We serve the people!”,
our cadres are now faithfully serving the
people as their servants. But we cannot in
the least neglect struggle against the abuse
of power, bureaucracy, irregularities and
corruption, because they are rooted in the
vestiges of outdated ideas, and because the
imperialists continue their schemes of
ideological and cultural infiltration in
order to implant anachronistic ideas in our
country. We should continue to vigorously
wage educational work and an ideological
struggle among cadres to root out these
deviations.
Our
Party’s politics are characterized by love
and trust and are benevolent politics. They
constitute the basic factor that defines our
socialism’s advantages and invincibility.
Thanks to the benevolent politics of the
Party and the leader, our people enjoy a
most worthwhile and dignified life. Their
noble socio-political integrity is enhanced
under our own style of socialist system,
which is centred on the popular masses. It
is a true feature of our society that all
its members form a large harmonious family.
They trust, love and help each other, and
enjoy a worthwhile and happy life together.
In
our country, everyone regards and supports
the leader as they would their own father.
They trust and follow the Party, regarding
its embrace as that of their own mother.
The leader, the Party and the people form
one socio-political organism, and share the
same destiny. The whole of society
overflows with communist morality. For
instance, one devotes one’s own life without
hesitation to save one’s revolutionary
comrade from danger, and young men and women
become life companions of honourably
disabled soldiers and take warm care of
orphans and old people without support, as
they would their own relations. This is a
proud result of the benevolent politics of
our Party.
The
vitality of the benevolent politics of our
Party finds expression not only in our
people’s noble spiritual and moral traits,
but also in their upright and equitable
material and cultural life, which improves
as the days go by. All our people are free
from worries about food, clothing and
housing. They continue to learn throughout
their whole life and enjoy long lives in
good health, thanks to free and compulsory
education and free medical care. In our
country, the state provides stable jobs for
all able-bodied working people. It looks
after the whole population under its
responsibility and even takes warm care of
those who have temporarily lost the ability
to work, those without this ability and old
people without support. Aged
revolutionaries and war veterans, honourably
disabled soldiers and meritorious people
enjoy their worthwhile life under the
state’s care, held in the people’s high
esteem and love.
The
younger generation is basking in the great
benefits of the Party’s benevolent
politics. They are successors to the
revolution, and the future of our country
and nation. The future of the revolution
and the destiny of the country and nation
depend on how they are brought up.
Therefore, their upbringing cannot be the
sole responsibility of their parents. In
capitalist society, where the future of the
younger generation depends on their parents’
purse, they cannot avoid falling victim to
social inequality and social evils. Due to
the aggression and intervention of the
imperialists and the plunder of the
exploiter class, many of the young
generation throughout the world lose their
lives or are maimed by war, social conflict,
disease and hunger or they wander about the
streets, committing crimes and degenerating.
By contrast, in our socialist society with
its benevolent politics, the state brings up
all the younger generation. Our Party and
state accord them the warmest love and
solicitude. In our country, they study to
their hearts’ content under the best ll-year
universal compulsory education system, and
are supplied with school uniforms and school
things by the state. Thanks to the warmest
love and care of the Party and the leader,
the state and society, our younger
generation is growing up happily without
envying anyone.
All
the popular policies enforced in our country
today prove the superiority of our own style
of socialist system, which is centred on
popular masses. These policies emanate from
the noble love of the Party and the leader
for the people. Benevolent politics is the
traditional method. Its historical root had
already been created by the great leader
Comrade Kim Il Sung in the days of
the anti-Japanese revolution and was further
deepened and developed by him as the
revolution and construction advanced.
The
respected leader Comrade Kim Il Sung
was the benevolent father of our people, who
cherished the warmest love for them. Under
the motto, “The people are my god”, which he
adopted when he was young, Comrade Kim
Il Sung mixed with people, shared weal
and woe with them and devoted his all for
them, throughout his life. Because it held
the respected Comrade Kim Il Sung,
who was endowed with the noble virtue of
boundless love for the people, as its
leader, our country could record a brilliant
history of genuine politics for the people,
benevolent politics. Our Party continues to
carry forward the brilliant traditions of
benevolent politics established by the great
leader Comrade Kim Il Sung. Our
Party’s benevolent politics are politics of
extensive love and trust; the Party loves
and trusts people from all areas of society,
without discrimination. In this sense, we
call our Party’s benevolent politics
all-embracing politics. They are politics of
invariable love and trust. Our Party is
responsible for everyone’s socio-political
integrity and guides this. Even when a man
has committed an error, our Party does not
put him in the cold but re-educates him, to
lead him onto the right track. It shows
constant care for him, so that he will exalt
his socio-political integrity to the last.
The
noble love and trust shown by our leader and
Party for the people have produced unfailing
loyalty to the Party and the leader from the
people. Our people have been well-known
since olden times as a diligent and
courageous people with a strong sense of
justice, a noble sense of obligation and a
high sense of decorum. Our people’s fine
traits now flourish and develop in every
respect, based on new spiritual and moral
qualities. Our people are deeply grateful
to the Party and the leader for their
benevolent politics and work heart and soul
to repay the favour with loyalty. Our
people’s loyalty to the great leader Comrade
Kim Il Sung is shown on a nobler
plane today, after they suddenly lost their
fatherly leader. It is our people’s
unshakable will to loyally uphold the
respected Comrade Kim Il Sung
forever as the leader of our Party and
revolution. Under the leadership of the
Party, our people are working with redoubled
efforts to win fresh victories, true to the
behests of their fatherly leader Comrade Kim
Il Sung. No other people are equipped
with such noble spiritual and moral
qualities as ours. They are unfailingly
loyal to the Party and the leader, and work
devotedly for their country, society and the
collective. We take great pride in having
such excellent people. For our Party to
have trained ours into such an excellent
people is its great achievement and a
brilliant victory for its benevolent
politics.
Our
Party’s benevolent politics are the source
of the single-hearted unity of the leader,
the Party and the people. The
single-hearted unity of the leader, Party
and people, based on love and loyalty, is
the most solid unity, and our own style of
socialism, rooted in this single-hearted
unity, is ever-victorious.
People
throughout the world express their great
admiration for our socialism, saying that it
is the most ideal socialism. This is
because our socialism is genuine socialism
centred on the popular masses, which fully
applies the principles of love for and trust
in the people.
The
reason why our own style of socialism,
centred on the popular masses, is an
invincible socialism which enjoys their full
support and trust is that here, the popular
masses maintain their position and exercise
their rights as the masters of the state and
society. They discharge their
responsibilities, play their role as the
masters and lead a worthwhile and happy life
in such a capacity.
Our
Party will invariably and fully pursue
genuine politics for the people, benevolent
politics which regards the popular masses,
the masters of everything in society, as
supreme beings and bestows everlasting love
and trust on them. Our Party and people are
faced with the heavy yet honourable task of
carrying forward and consummating through
generations, the socialist cause of Juche
which was initiated and led by the great
leader Comrade Kim Il Sung. As it
has always won victories in the past by
believing in and relying on the people, so
too in the future, our Party will accomplish
the socialist cause of Juche by believing in
and relying on them.
Man-centred
socialism, socialism centred on the popular
masse, is absolutely scientific, and the
most advantageous and powerful socialism.
For its scientific accuracy and truth,
socialism is sure to be victorious.