Safeguarding and developing the socialist cause is the most important task now facing revolutionary parties and peoples. Although it is undergoing trials, socialism is as ever the objective of the struggle of revolutionary parties as well as the aspiration of progressive people. This is shown clearly by the fact that many revolutionary parties throughout the world have signed the declaration which was adopted in Pyongyang in April this year, the declaration for safeguarding and promoting the socialist cause.
How the socialist cause is promoted depends on how the party which leads this cause is built and how its leading role is enhanced. The history of the struggle for socialism can be called the history of building the working-class party and of its activities. The whole course of the bloody struggle of the working class and other sections of the working masses for socialism shows that the key to victory lies in party building and party activities and that the failure has its causes in party building and party activities.
Now that revolutionary parties have adopted the Pyongyang Declaration as their common fighting programme and are undertaking a fresh struggle for socialism, it is extremely important to conduct a correct review of the historical experience and lessons of party building. Such a review is also a pressing matter in enabling our officials and Party members to heig
The setback faced by socialism in a number of countries is a serious lesson for us. Here it is particularly important for us to understand clearly why parties that had guided the socialist cause through arduous struggles for many decades collapsed so quickly. That is important because party leadership is vital to the socialist cause.
A socialist society is an advanced society that represents the popular masses’ desire for independence, and humanity’s advance towards socialism is the trend of historical development. The tide of human history towards socialism is guided by the working-class party, and the progress of socialist society requires that the working-class party should be developed and strengthened steadily. The collapse of socialist ruling parties and socialism’s return to capitalism in some countries in recent years can be considered as abnormal, passing phenomena in the light of the general trend of human history.
The collapse of parties which had been building socialism was an abnormal occurrence also in view of the circumstances and conditions for party building and party activities. The circumstances and conditions for party building and party activities in socialist society are incomparably superior to those in capitalist society. In socialist society there are no socio-economic and class conditions restricting the building and activities of the working-class party, the party’s social and class foundations are broad, and the party has greater possibilities for winning the support and confidence of the popular masses through the implementation of popular policies. The collapse of socialist ruling parties in spite of this is explained by the fact that party building and party activities were not conducted properly.
The most important factor in party building and party activities is to strengthen the party’s organizational and ideological bases.
The working-class party is a political organization that has been formed on the basis of the working-class ideology, and as such how its organizational and ideological bases are built is a basic factor that is essential to its existence. The working-class party must lay and strengthen its organizational and ideological foundations in the whole process of preparing its foundation and development. The strengthening of its organizational and ideological foundations is particularly important when the inheritance of the party leadership is an issue, because at that moment the class enemies at home and abroad and schemers and ambitious elements who are greedy for power manoeuvre more overtly than ever.
If its organizational and ideological bases are solid, the socialist ruling party can thwart all the schemes of the imperialists and class enemies to undermine the party. Treachery within the party is a greater danger to the existence of the party than destructive moves from outside, but whether or not treachery can be prevented depends on the solidity of its organizational and ideological foundations. If the party adheres to revolutionary principles and has durable organizational and ideological foundations, its leadership will not fall into the hands of traitors to the revolution, and should the leadership fall into their hands, the traitors will find it difficult to impose their counterrevolutionary line upon the party organizations and party members. But the organizational and ideological foundations of several parties were weakened because of a trend towards bourgeois liberalism that had infiltrated them. Taking advantage of this weakness, the traitors to the revolution were able to dictate their counterrevolutionary line to their subordinates openly. In particular the body of cadres, the backbone of the organizational and ideological foundations of the party, was not built up well and ideological degeneration was evident among them. Therefore, many cadres failed to distinguish between the revolution and counterrevolution clearly and, even when the counterrevolutionary nature of the traitors was identified, they ideologically sympathized with them and followed them blindly or flattered them submissively, for the purpose of self-protection in preference. Of course, the staunch communists preserved their conscience of party membership and fought to defend the party and socialism. But their struggle could not halt the adverse current of counterrevolution that had emerged due to the long-term degeneration of the party.
Another important matter in the building and activities of the working-class party is the fortification of its mass foundation.
It is an essential condition for the existence of the working-class party that represents the interests of the masses to strike root among the masses. Without the support of the masses the working-class party cannot maintain its existence.
For the socialist ruling party to consolidate its mass base it is essential for it to build socialism successfully so as to display the advantages of the socialist system to the full and, at the same time, to work well with the masses and equip them fully with the socialist ideology. Fundamentally speaking, the working-class party is a party of the popular masses themselves which fights in defence of their interests. Therefore, if the working masses oppose the working-class party it means that they are opposing themselves. But if the socialist ruling party fails to bring the superiority of the socialist system into full play because of the inefficient organization and leadership of socialist construction, and if it fails to overcome bureaucracy and other outmoded work methods and styles, and bribery and other forms of irregularities and corruption, within the party, it may become divorced from the masses. As for bureaucracy, it was in evidence in the early days of the building of socialism. It was more or less inevitable that officials should employ outmoded work methods and styles because they retained the remnants of outmoded ideas and had no experience of the management of socialist society. But the officials’ outmoded work methods and styles at that time did not result in such a serious consequence as jeopardizing the revolutionary ac
The degeneration within socialist government parties which resulted in the frustration of socialism began with their discarding the revolutionary principles for building a working-class party. The revolutionary principles for building a working-class party were put forward in Marxism-Leninism. The founders of Marxism, who believed that a vanguard for the working class was needed to lead its revolutionary struggle to victory, formed the Communist Union, the political organization of the working class, and founded the First International, and they worked hard to develop the international communist movement under the party’s leadership. In the course of this, a number of party-building principles were established by the founders of Marxism. Lenin, upholding Marxist principles for party building, developed the theory of party building in accordance with the historical conditions in which the proletarian revolution became necessary with capitalism’s transition to the stage of imperialism. He defined the poor peasantry, along with the working class, as the motive force of the revolution and, on that new class basis, founded a revolutionary party. With the victory of the October Socialist Revolution in Russia under the leadership of Lenin’s Party, Marxist-Leninist principles for party building became the universal principles for party building recognized by the communist and workers’ parties.
The new era of independence in which the popular masses shape their destiny independently and creatively required a fresh development in party-building theories. As a theory in the period of the struggle of the working-class party for the seizure of power, the Marxist-Leninist theory of party building did not clarify the details of how the working-class party in power should develop itself and conduct its activities. Many new theoretical and practical problems occurred in the building and activities of the party as the leading political organization of society after its seizure of power and the establis
A socialist society requires that the working-class party should be strengthened steadily and its leadership role enhanced. Socialist society, which is based on collectivism, can neither maintain itself nor blaze a trail successfully towards socialism and communism without the correct political leadership of the party. In the course of many years of living in comfort in socialist society, the revolutionary spirit may gradually disappear and idle and easy-going practices come to prevail among the new generation and other people who have not experienced exploitation, oppression and hardship. All this requires the strengthening of the party and the improvement of its leading role, as well as a more positive effort to educate party members and other people in the revolutionary spirit. But, many socialist ruling parties neglected to strengthen themselves and to provide party members and the people with revolutionary education, believing that everything would go well merely if they built the economy after the establis
The socialist government parties and the socialist systems col-lapsed in many countries, not just a few, because they had failed to establish Juche in their development and activities.
Establishing Juche is the fundamental requirement in the building and the activities of a revolutionary party. The revolutionary party of the working class is an independent political organization which combats domination and subordination in all forms and struggles to realize the independence of the working masses. Therefore the revolutionary party must resolve all the problems that arise in its building and activities with its own ideas and by its own efforts. Of course, in the early days of the international communist movement the guidance and assistance of the international centre was necessary for the countries whose communist hard core was not sufficiently prepared to carry out the cause of party building.
As history developed and the revolution progressed, a communist hard core and revolutionary forces grew up in different countries and every party became able to conduct the revolution independently in keeping with the specific conditions in its own country. In this historical situation it was not realistic for an international centre to guide the parties and revolutionary movements of different countries in a uniform way, so the Comintern ceased to exist.
But even after the Comintern had been dissolved, old practices lasted for a long time in the relations between communist and workers’ parties, practices expressed in their dogmatic acceptance of the party lines and policies of a major country which had carried out the socialist revolution earlier. The good experience of others should be adopted, but in such a case it should be assimilated creatively to suit the specific situation in the country concerned. Since the specific conditions vary with the country, socialism cannot be built successfully if foreign experience is adopted dogmatically. Nevertheless, many parties, being in the habit of copying the lines and policies of the party of another country, followed the other when it abandoned socialist principles and pursued revisionism. They even accepted the counterrevolutionary lines which the traitors to socialism dictated to them. This resulted in the collapse of the socialist government parties in the Soviet Union and east European countries and in the almost simultaneous collapse of the socialist systems in these countries. If the socialist government parties had resolved all the problems arising in their development and activities from their own point of view, with an attitude befitting masters who are responsible for the revolution in their own country, and to meet the requirements of their own people and the situation in their own country, the socialist government parties and socialist systems in these countries would not have collapsed.
The process of the disintegration of parties that had seized power after an arduous revolutionary struggle and had spent decades building socialism, and of the destruction of the socialist systems is a serious lesson.
The historical lesson from the collapse of the socialist ruling parties and of the socialist systems in many countries is that the purity of the socialist idea must be maintained firmly if the cause of socialism is to be completed.
Historical experience shows that when people’s ideology degenerates, both the working-class party and the socialist system will also become degenerate and cease to exist. The emergence of renegades from the party, the organizational and ideological disintegration of the party and the change in public feelings all started from degeneration in ideology. If ideology degenerates, even great economic and military powers will collapse and the socialist system that has been developed for decades will inevitably be destroyed.
The most dangerous ideological trend which undermines socialism is that of revisionism, dogmatism and flunkeyism.
The idea which is directly antagonistic to the socialist idea is the bourgeois idea, but the bourgeois idea cannot prevent the attraction of the socialist idea. The bourgeois idea, that reflects the avaricious demands of the exploiter classes, cannot conceal its reactionary nature, no matter what hypocrisy is used to embellish it. It is natural that the working masses should accept the socialist idea which reflects their demand for independence instead of the bourgeois idea which reflects the demands of the exploiter classes that infringe upon their independence. Therefore, the imperialists and capitalists have used revisionism, which is the revision of the socialist idea, to cater to their desires, as an ideological instrument. As it was in the past, so at present, too, revisionism is the main t
Dogmatism and flunkeyism are also dangerous ideological elements in the accomplis
Another historical lesson to be learned from the collapse of the socialist ruling parties and of the socialist systems in some countries is that continuity of leadership must be ensured if one is to complete the cause of socialism.
We cannot regard the responsibility for the disintegration of the socialist ruling parties as resting with ordinary party members. In any of those countries ordinary party members have faithfully supported the cause of the working-class party and grieved at its collapse. The problem was that the continuity of revolutionary leadership was not ensured.
The destiny of the cause of socialism whic
If continuity of leadership is to be ensured in a socialist society, the party should be strong. In general, the personality and qualities of the leader of a communist movement are formed through a process in which he is tempered and tested in a fierce class struggle. But the personality and qualities of the leader of the new generation in a socialist society are shaped in the course of his being tempered and seasoned through a party life and the practical work of building socialism. If an admirable leader is to come forward, a leader who has been tempered and tested through a party life and revolutionary practice in a socialist society, the party should be powerful. Historical experience shows that it is quite possible for an excellent leader to come forward who is faithful to the cause of socialism and the people and is well-qualified and can carry forward the cause of socialism successfully if the problem of continuity of leadership is solved in a foresig
The collapse of the socialist ruling parties and the destruction of the socialist systems in many countries are a great loss to the cause of independence for the popular masses. But if one learns a lesson from one’s failure and opens up the revolutionary path of party building independently and creatively, one will be able to build a more revolutionary and militant party and continually promote the cause of socialism under the leadership of the party.
The bitter experience of the collapse of the socialist ruling parties and the destruction of the socialist systems in many countries demands that we recognize more clearly the validity of our Party’s line of building a Juche-based party and work still harder to implement it.
Our Party has always solved in its own way, proceeding from a Juche stand, all the problems which have been raised in the building of the Party and in its activities. Had our Party followed others in the building of the Party and in its activities, it would have been harmed. In the history of our Party, too, there were at one time pressure from outside forces and schemes by factionalists infected with flunkeyism who demanded that we follow others. But, our Party did not move even a single step from its Juche line. Because we have built our Party and conducted its activities in our own way, our Party is leading the revolution and construction energetically as a militant detac
The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung has created a Juche theory on party building and comprehensively systematized it after founding a Juche-based revolutionary party which he has led on the basis of the Juche idea, and has also performed immortal exploits and accumulated valuable experience in party building. This is a great ac
The Juche idea is the sole guiding idea of our Party.
The guiding idea of a party is its fundamental idea which clarifies the goal of its struggle as well as the principles and ways for ac
The guiding ideas of the revolutionary parties of the working class share common ground in that they reflect the desire of the popular masses, the driving force of the revolution, for independence, and their interests. Nevertheless, they have their own specific features because the situation in every country is different. In the past it was stressed that the parties of all countries should have one guiding idea which was approved by all. But the fact that the party of each country should work independently, with its own guiding idea, and that it should develop its guiding idea creatively, was neglected. This was an obstacle for every country in building the party and making the revolution independently to suit its own situation. It is only when a correct guiding idea is created and developed from an independent and creative stand that a party can be built independently and the revolution and construction be conducted successfully, taking the idea as its guiding principle.
Because a party has to create a guiding idea to keep abreast of the changing circumstances and its own situation, it should not renounce the revolutionary principles that should be maintained invariably in the building of the party and in its activities. The conditions under which the party works, as well as its duties, change in the course of accomplishing the cause of socialism; therefore, the theoretical and practical problems arising in the building of the party and in its activities should be solved creatively to conform with this. But, revolutionary principles should invariably be maintained because the class character of the party and its historical mission cannot change. Renouncing revolutionary principles because of changes in the circumstances and conditions means destroying the revolutionary party and betraying the revolutionary cause of the popular masses.
The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung created the Juche idea and thus found a brilliant way of providing a guiding ideology for the Party to meet the requirements of the times and the situation in our country. The validity and vitality of a revolutionary idea are defined by how correctly the idea reflects the masses’ desire for independence and their interests and how scientifically it explains the way to meet them. The Juche idea accurately reflects the fundamental requirements of the working class and the other working masses and explains the way it should be implemented in an absolutely scientific manner. The fundamental demand of the working class and the other working people is to end exploitation and oppression of man by man and to enjoy an independent and creative life as masters of the state and society. Because it mirrors the masses’ desire for independence and explains the way in which it should be implemented in a comprehensive manner, the Juche idea is a perfect revolutionary ideology of the working class which reflects the new age in which the popular masses have emerged in the arena of history as masters of their destiny. It is only when party building and its activities are guided by the Juche idea that the party can consolidate and develop itself steadily and conduct the revolution and construction with success. This has been proved in our revolutionary practice.
Developing our Party into a mass party of the working people is a basic policy of building it.
Formerly a party was regarded as a political organization of a class, representing and defending the class’s interests, and as a weapon in the class struggle. The party is the vanguard of a class which fights to realize the demands and aspirations of that class. But, if it is built into a party for that class alone, it is impossible for it to perform its duties properly as a revolutionary party or to win the support of the broad masses of the people. The situation now, in which the broad masses of the people have emerged as the masters of their destiny, requires that the working-class party be developed into a mass party which represents the interests of all the people and embraces progressive elements from all classes and sections of the working population. In socialist society in which all strata of the popular masses have become socialist working people and the social and class composition is becoming more and more homogeneous, it is all the more necessary to develop the working-class party into a mass party.
The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, displaying scientific insight into the requirements of our times and the specific situation of our revolution, put forward the theory of building a mass party, thus paving a new way for the building of a revolutionary party. The theory on building a mass party evolved by the great leader is based on the Juche revolutionary principle that the popular masses are the masters and the motive force of the revolution and construction. The cause of socialism is an undertaking by the people and for the people. Today, when the broad masses of the people are aspiring to socialism and the social and class foundations of socialism have been expanded as never before, the party which fights for the cause of socialism must naturally be developed into a mass party which represents the interests of all the people and strikes root among the broad working masses.
The party’s development into a mass party must not result in the weakening or alternation of its revolutionary and working-class character. The class character of the party is defined by its guiding ideology and fighting objectives; its revolutionary character is manifested in its loyalty to the revolutionary ideology of the working class and to the socialist cause. The cause of the working class conforms to the interests of all the people, and the working class can ac
The great leader, on the basis of the line of building a mass party, built a revolutionary Party of Juche which consists of advanced elements of the workers, farmers and working intellectuals and champions the interests of the popular masses, and thus set a brilliant example in the building of a mass party. He had not only a hammer and a sickle symbolizing the workers and farmers but also a brush symbolizing the working intellectuals form the Party’s emblem, to suit the characteristics of our Party, a mass party, and has led the Party to form a harmonious whole with the masses and render loyal service to all the people so as to provide them with an independent and creative life. Our Party has developed into an unconquerable revolutionary party whic
Firmly establishing monolithic ideology and leadership within the Party is a fundamental principle in the building of our Party.
The durability and vitality of a revolutionary party is ensured by its monolithic ideology and leadership. Monolithic ideology and leadership is essential for the unity of idea and purpose within the party and for its effective leadership of the revolution and construction.
Monolithic ideology and leadership in a party is best ac
Monolithic ideology and leadership in a party is guaranteed by centralist discipline, and can be ensured only when the party has established a centralist work system and order by which all party organizations and all its members obligatorily implement its lines and policies, and by which its entire membership acts as one in accordance with the instructions of its central committee.
The establis
It is our main task in Party building to strengthen the Party’s unity and cohesion.
The unity and cohesion of the party is its lifeblood and the source of its might. The party whose unity and cohesion is disrupted cannot maintain its existence. The unity and cohesion of the party is a prerequisite for ac
The unity and cohesion of the party behind the leader in ideology and purpose, as well as in morality and loyalty, is the most durable of unity and cohesion. An association which is based on a mere sense of duty or on business routine cannot last long, nor can it withstand the severe trials of the revolution. Only solid, single-hearted unity behind the leader which is based on one ideology and purpose and on loyalty to the revolution can be unbreakable unity and cohesion that is capable of overcoming all hardships and trials.
The work of strengthening the unity and cohesion of the party must be steadily intensified. If we, resting content with the unity and cohesion of the Party that has been ac
The struggle to maintain the unity and cohesion of the party is, in the final analysis, a fight against heterogeneous ideological trends that are detrimental to the unity and cohesion of the party. The most dangerous of the ideological trends that undermine the party’s unity and cohesion is factionalism and other counterrevolutionary ideological trends. If we tolerate counterrevolutionary ideological trends within the party, anti-party groups will be formed on their basis and will destroy the party. In order to maintain the unity and cohesion of the party, it is also necessary to guard against parochialism, nepotism and other unsound ideological elements. Parochialism and nepotism are seeds of factions and, if they are connived at, they may grow into factions and break the unity and cohesion of the party. We must remember that heterogeneous ideological elements that are harmful to the Party’s unity and cohesion can germinate from the remnants of outmoded ideas or infiltrate from outside, and we must always be vigilant.
Historical experience shows that, if we neglect the consolidation of the unity and cohesion of the party, in the belief that the unity and cohesion of the party will not be destroyed in socialist society, factional forces may appear in the party and challenge the party, in collusion with counterrevolutionary forces outside the party, and this will incur grave consequences. Only when we develop the work of consolidating the unity and cohesion of the party, regarding it as the main task in party building, can we strengthen and develop its unity and cohesion down through the generations.
Our Party ac
It is the consistent policy of our Party to stress ideology in party building.
A party is a political organization of people who are united by a common ideology. Therefore, its ranks should be strengthened with the main stress on ideology. This means that the party’s ranks should be made up of people who are loyal to the cause of socialism, judged mainly by how strong a belief they have in the party’s ideology. Only when the party’s ranks are strengthened with people who have a high level of ideological consciousness and are loyal to the cause of socialism, is it possible to ensure the party’s solid unity in ideology and purpose and its strong revolutionary character and enhance the vanguard role of party members in the revolutionary struggle and construction work. Therefore, it is essential in building up the party’s ranks to judge people mainly and always by their ideological level and their loyalty to the cause of socialism, while taking into account their socio-class position and background. Even in a society where the hostile class has been eliminated and all the members of society have become socialist working people, the principle of giving priority to ideology in building up the party’s ranks must not be violated. In a socialist society, too, some people who are not prepared politically and ideologically may possibly attempt to join the party in pursuit of selfish interests and fame. But such people are not qualified for party membership and, if they are admitted to the party, the dignity and prestige of the party may be damaged and the party itself be weakened.
In building a party by judging people’s ideological criteria, it is extremely important to form the ranks of cadres with officials who are infinitely loyal to the party, the leader and the revolution. Cadres are the backbone of the party; they educate the masses and direct the revolution. The strength of the party depends largely on the quality of its cadres. Cadres need to be competent but, more importantly, should have a sound ideology. Loyalty to the party, the leader and the revolution is the first criterion of a cadre. To form the cadre ranks mainly on the criterion of loyalty to the party, the leader and the revolution is a fundamental matter that has a bearing on the future of the party. The major obstacle to forming the cadre ranks with the main stress on ideology is the violation of party principles because of favouritism, personal acquaintance and the like in the work of personnel administration. If party principles are disregarded in personnel administration, unqualified people may be admitted to the ranks of cadres or even alien elements may worm their way into them.
With a view to ensuring the purity of the ranks of cadres, our Party has established strict procedures for the appointment, the dismissal and the ratification of cadres and has ensured that cadres are selected and appointed on the basis of collective discussion by the Party committee and on the principle of unanimous approval. Thus, only those whose loyalty and ability have been verified in revolutionary practice have been selected and appointed as cadres. The experience of our Party shows that only when the ranks of cadres are built up mainly on ideological criteria can the Party be strengthened organizationally and ideologically and, on this basis, the cause of the Party be accomplished down through the generations.
Establishing a monolithic ideology is the major task of our Party.
The building of socialism and communism is the process of modelling the whole society on the revolutionary ideology of the working class. Our Party set the ultimate objective of our revolution to be the modelling of the whole society on the Juche idea and has worked hard to occupy the ideological and material fortresses of socialism and communism by transforming our ideology, technology and culture to meet the requirements of Juche.
The main aspect of modelling the whole society on one ideology is to instill our monolithic ideology in all the members of society. People are the masters of society and a person’s value and quality are defined, and all his activities are regulated, by his ideological consciousness. Therefore, in order to transform the whole of society on a single ideology, it is essential, above all else, to educate people and transform their ideology.
People not only transform nature and society but also reform themselves. The ideological transformation of people is also influenced by changes and developments in the objective conditions of society. In particular, the change and development of the social system exert a great influence on the change and development of ideological consciousness. But a change in the objective conditions does not bring about that of people’s ideological consciousness spontaneously. Ideological consciousness is consciousness which reflects the demands and interests of people and it has relative solidity. Unless people work to remould their ideological consciousness, regardless of changes in the objective circumstances and conditions, their ideological consciousness will not be transformed. If we believe that people will acquire the socialist ideology automatically after the establis
The ideology with which we should equip the members of society should be an excellent one. There cannot be a vacuum in people’s ideological consciousness. Unless we have a good ideology that is superior to the old ideologies we cannot succeed in ideological transformation.
The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung originated the Juche idea and, while leading the arduous revolutionary struggle for nearly 70 years, has produced a full clarification of how a revolutionary should live and struggle, setting a fine example in doing so, and thus providing us with good ideo-spiritual wealth for ideological transformation. The revolutionary ideology of the great leader and the history of his revolutionary struggle are an invaluable textbook and example for imbuing the whole society with an ideology. The loyalty to the Party and the leader of our anti-Japanese revolutionary forerunners, the heroic soldiers who fought in the Fatherland Liberation War and the heroes of socialist revolution and construction and their devoted service to the country and the people are also a priceless asset in ideological transformation.
An old ideology does not give way to a good, new one of its own accord. A good ideology, needless to say, is very attractive. But, since the imperialists and the reactionaries are playing many tricks in an attempt to slur the socialist ideology and beautify and embellish the bourgeois ideology, it is not easy for people to accept an advanced ideology. Only through a struggle to oppose the reactionary bourgeois ideology and equip the people with the advanced socialist ideology can they be educated and reformed along revolutionary lines. It is the most important task for the parties building socialism to carry out vigorous ideological work to prevent the penetration of the reactionary bourgeois ideology and equip people with the socialist ideology. Only when the revolutionary parties conduct good ideological work to overcome the reactionary bourgeois ideas of all
For the ideological transformation of the whole society the party must give priority to the ideological education of its members. In other words, a party must educate its members first and then make them educate the hard core of the masses who, in turn, will educate the broad masses. The education of the hard core of the masses by party members and the education of the broad masses by the hard core of the masses is an effective method of educating and transforming all the members of society, with one person educating ten people, ten people a hundred, a hundred people a thousand, and a thousand people ten thousand. A party member is a political activist by nature and it is the duty of a party member to conduct political work to educate and transform the masses. When a party refuses to give precedence to the ideological education of its members they cannot do their duty as political activists and may degenerate ideologically. It cannot be said that the traitors to the revolution who appeared in some socialist ruling parties were anti-socialist from the first. The parties neglected the revolutionary education and tempering of their cadres and members, with the result that some people gradually degenerated and became traitors. In the light of this lesson we must always pay primary attention to the revolutionary education and tempering of cadres and Party members.
In order to succeed in the ideological tempering of Party members we must lead them to live a good Party life. A Party life is a furnace for ideological tempering. When party members fail to lead a party life and leave the control of their party organizations they may become liberal and degenerate ideologically. Proceeding from their need of political integrity party members must participate voluntarily in a party life. Our Party has established a well-regulated system for a Party life whic
Ideology is reformed through ideological education and an ideological struggle. Ideological education is work to equip people with revolutionary ideas; it requires a certain system and definite forms and methods. Our Party has established a well-knit system of ideological education within itself and has run it regularly. It has steadily improved the forms and methods of ideological education as required by the developing situation. The ideological struggle is an important form of ideological transformation that is performed through criticism; criticism is a tonic for preventing ideological sickness. Our Party has established a sound atmosphere for criticism within itself so that an ideological struggle is conducted through criticism to temper the cadres and its members on revolutionary lines.
For the ideological transformation of the whole society the party must also educate the masses responsibly. The greatest love for the people is manifested by equipping them with the consciousness of independence and awakening them ideologically, and the most serious crime against the people is to paralyze their consciousness of independence and make them ideologically degenerate. The responsible education of the popular masses by a party is an expression of its boundless love for them.
Party organizations should guide all its cadres and members to conduct political work widely among the masses, while at the same time educating the masses through working people’s organizations. Conducting work with the masses through working people’s organizations is our Party’s principle in guiding the masses. The proper guidance of those organizations is an important duty of the socialist ruling party which is the political leadership organization of society. Working people’s organizations must work independently, but they should not be left without the guidance of the working-class party. It is the working-class party that represents the interests of the popular masses most thoroughly in socialist society. So the working people’s organizations must always conduct their activities in accordance with the party’s lines and policies. The “independence” of the working people’s organizations that means freedom from the leadership of the party eventually reduces the working people’s organizations to a tool for the counterrevolutionary forces. The socialist ruling party must give correct guidance to the working people’s organizations so that they conduct the work of educating and reforming the masses of all strata independently, creatively and skilfully, in accordance with their duties and character as organizations for ideological education. The party’s norms for an organizational and ideological life should serve as an example of the organizational and ideological life in the working people’s organizations. But, unlike the party that is composed of advanced elements of the working people, the working people’s organizations are mass organizations whic
The fundamental method of mass education is explanation and persuasion. People’s ideology cannot be reformed by administrative orders or by coercive methods. People should be encouraged to accept the ideology as their faith throug
Great efforts should be directed particularly to the education of the younger generation in the education of the masses. The older generation of the revolution should pass down to the younger generation great revolutionary spirit and creative ability. Of course, material wealth should be handed down to the younger generation, but however much material wealth they may inherit, they will misuse it if they lack revolutionary spirit and creative ability. In those countries where capitalism has revived, many young people took the lead in opposing socialism. This was due to their parties’ failure to guide them properly. It is an important duty for socialist ruling parties to educate the younger generation on revolutionary lines so that they firmly defend the socialist system and continue to work for the revo-lution and accomplish the cause. Historical lesson shows clearly that when the younger generation are not educated in a revolutionary way the revolutionary gains ac
Today in our country the young people are working with devotion to develop socialism further under the leadership of the Party, and all the young people and children are growing up as dependable successors to the revolution. This shows that the leadership of our Party, which has put great efforts into the education of the rising generation, is absolutely correct. But we should not rest content with the successes which have been ac
It is the basic mission of our Party to guarantee its political leadership of the whole society.
The revolutionary working-class party in socialist society is charged with the mission of assuming responsibility for the destiny of the people, forging it and providing independent and creative lives for them. If the party is to fulfil its mission it should ensure its political leadership in politics, the economy, culture, national defence and all other spheres. The party’s responsibility for the destiny of the people is inseparable from its leading position. The revolutionary party’s renunciation of its leading position and role is the evasion of its responsibility for the destiny of the people. It is the fundamental direction in the building of a socialist ruling party to enhance the leading position and role of the party so that it can fully ensure its political leadership over the whole society.
The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung wisely guided our Party to strengthen its position as the political leader of society and enhance its role as such. Our people recognize only the Workers’ Party of Korea as their political leader and entrust their destiny entirely to the Party, and they are full of a firm determination to complete the revolutionary cause of Juche under the leadership of the Party.
The leadership of a revolutionary party to the revolution and construction should be political leadership.
First of all, the party should draw up correct policies. The lines and policies of a revolutionary party should accurately reflect the masses’ desire for independence and their interests and, to this end, the party should
The party should give priority to political work in all its activities so as to give full play to the revolutionary enthusiasm and creative ability of the popular masses. It is an intrinsic demand of socialist society to give precedence to political work in all activities. The revolutionary enthusiasm and creative ability of the working people who are masters of state and society can be brought into full play only by political methods. The capitalist method of motivating people by coercion or money, which is contrary to the intrinsic nature of socialist society, not only cannot give full play to their revolutionary enthusiasm and creative ability but also results in the degeneration of the socialist system itself. Only the method of giving full rein to the revolutionary enthusiasm and creative ability of the popular masses by giving priority to political work is a revolutionary method of strengthening the socialist system and giving full play to its advantages. By giving precedence to political work in all its activities our Party has been able to promote the revolution and construction dynamically in reliance on the high revolutionary enthusiasm and creative ability of the popular masses, and to give full play to the advantages of the socialism of our own style which is centred on the popular masses.
The embodiment of the revolutionary mass line is the consistent policy of our Party in its leadership of the revolution and construction.
The revolutionary mass line is a principle of activity, based on the view that the driving force of the revolution and construction is the popular masses. The fundamental demand of the revolutionary mass line is to ensure that the popular masses hold the position of masters of the revolution and construction and fulfil their role as such. The revolutionary party which represents the interests of the popular masses and serves them must make the revolutionary mass line the fundamental principle of its activities and thoroughly implement the revolutionary mass line throughout the whole course of the struggle for socialism.
If the revolutionary mass line is to be implemented thoroughly in the activities of the party, the method and style of work of officials should be improved steadily. The connection between the party and the masses is established by officials, and the masses’ support for and trust in the party largely depend on the officials’ method and style of work. In socialist society some ill-prepared officials may throw their weight about and act bureaucratically. Essentially, wielding power and acting bureaucratically is a ruling method of the old society for oppressing and exploiting the people. As experience shows, if officials abuse their power and resort to bureaucracy, they will cause the divorce of the party and the masses, and may finally bring the party to ruin. To struggle uncompromisingly against the abuse of power and bureaucracy is important work which the socialist ruling party should not neglect even for a moment.
Since changes of generation take place in the ranks of cadres and the proportion of officials who are not amply tempered in the revolution increases, we have continued to pay great attention to the elimination of outmoded work methods and styles. Under the slogan, “We serve the people!” our Party has guided all our officials to serve the people faithfully and strengthen their kindred relations with the popular masses. As a consequence, our officials have established the revolutionary work method and popular work style whereby they defend the interests of the popular masses, go among them and work in reliance on them, share good time and bad with them, and lead the masses by setting them examples. Our people’s strong support for and faith in our Party are the fruition of its revolutionary mass line that it has implemented thoroughly in its activities, and of its unremitting efforts to ensure that officials establish the revolutionary work method and the popular work style.
We must apply more thoroughly the Juche theory on the building of the Party, whose validity and vitality have been demonstrated fully in practice, and thus constantly strengthen our Party and complete the revolutionary cause of Juche under its leadership.
Strengthening internationalist unity and solidarity with revolu-tionary parties is an important demand for our Party in discharging its national and internationalist duties.
The basic task of a revolutionary party is to provide independence for the popular masses. Their cause for independence is not only national but also the common cause of humanity, and the struggle to realize the independence of the popular masses in each country is closely related to the struggle to make the whole world independent. An independent world is a world which is free from domination and subjugation and intervention and pressure and in which all countries and nations exercise complete sovereignty as the masters of their destiny. With the promotion of global independence a favourable international climate is created for the independent development of all countries and nations. Meanwhile, victory in the struggle for the independence of the popular masses in each country reinforces the independent forces of the world and thus accelerates global independence. In league with one another, the imperialists and the reactionary forces of all shades are impeding the fulfilment of the independent cause of the popular masses, and the internationally united reactionary forces are challenging it. This makes it absolutely necessary for all the revolutionary parties and people aspiring after independence to unite and fight against them.
The people of the world are joining the common struggle because they share the same goal and task of struggling for independence. “People of the world advocating independence, unite!”–this is the slogan to be held up by all the people of our era.
If all the people advocating independence are to unite and wage a struggle, first of all the internationalist unity and solidarity of the revolutionary parties, their hard core, should be strengthened.
Strengthening internationalist unity and solidarity in the fulfil-ment of the cause of independence for the popular masses is an important factor in its triumph. The struggle for the victory of this cause is now going through an ordeal. But if they strengthen their solidarity with one another, unite in a comradely manner and fight on, the revolutionary parties of the world will be able to check and frustrate the counterrevolutionary offensive by the imperialists and reactionaries who are opposed to independence, and to pave the way to victory.
The internationalist unity and solidarity of the revolutionary parties should be realized on the basis of the socialist ideal. A revolutionary party that is devoid of the socialist ideal is inconceivable and unity and solidarity between the parties that are not based on the socialist idea cannot be called genuinely revolutionary unity and solidarity. The aim of strengthening the internationalist unity and solidarity is not self-serving; it is to ac
The Pyongyang Declaration reflects a firm determination to defend and promote the cause of socialism. Its publication is of epochal significance in strengthening the internationalist unity and solidarity of the revolutionary parties and in promoting the socialist cause.
The Pyongyang Declaration has affirmed that socialism is the ideal of mankind and that socialist society is a society which represents the future of mankind and a genuine society for the people. Although the socialist idea is the ideology of the working class, it does not represent the interests of one class alone; it is a universal idea for humanity which reflects the social nature of human beings. Socialism is not only an idea for class emancipation but also an idea for national and human liberation which reflects the desire for independence of all nations and the whole of humanity. Only when they advance along the road of socialism where the popular masses are the masters of everything and everything serves them, can all the people lead a free, equitable and dignified life that is suited to the independent nature of human beings and can all countries and nations free themselves from domination and subjugation, ac
By confirming the veracity and validity of the cause of socialism and the inevitability of its final victory, the Pyongyang Declaration is infusing the revolutionary people of the world who aspire after independence with confidence in victory and a revolutionary fighting spirit, while representing a serious setback for the imperialists and reactionaries who are waging a frantic anti-socialist campaign, talking about the “end” of socialism.
The fact that well over a hundred parties have signed the Pyongyang Declaration and that the revolutionary people around the world are responding to it proves irrefutably that the socialist idea contained in the Pyongyang Declaration reflects the desires and aspirations of progressive humanity. The revolutionary parties will be able to strengthen their internationalist unity and solidarity based on the common idea and dynamically promote the cause of socialism when they wage a struggle with the Pyongyang Declaration as their common fighting programme.
The internationalist unity and solidarity of the revolutionary parties must be ac
An urgent, common task facing the revolutionary parties at present is to defend socialism from the counterrevolutionary offensive of the imperialists and reactionaries.
The imperialists and reactionaries are now engaged in vicious manoeuvres against socialism, but they are destined to be a failure. The revolutionary parties and people the world over are turning out in a new struggle, overcoming the temporary confusion. It is inevitable for the masses of people to fight against a force if it represses their independence, and the cause of socialism emerges victorious through this struggle. This is a law governing historical development. The imperialists are now behaving arrogantly, but they are in a serious crisis. As the monopolies grow, the reactionary, anti-popular character of modern imperialism becomes more evident and the discontent of the working people with the corrupt and ailing capitalist society grows as the days go by. The desire to build an independent, new world under the ideal of independence, peace and friendship is becoming more intense among the progressive people of the world. Although socialism is undergoing an ordeal, these people can change a disadvantageous situation into a favourable one and turn misfortune into a blessing, if they counter the counterrevolutionary offensive of the imperialists and reactionaries with a revolutionary offensive, full of confidence in victory.
Now that the imperialists and reactionaries are concentrating the spearhead of their attack on the socialist countries which are faithful to revolutionary principles, it is very important for all the revolutionary parties and people to unite and strengthen their internationalist support for and solidarity with the socialist countries. Frustrating the criminal manoeuvres of the imperialists and reactionaries to isolate, blockade and invade the socialist countries is a common, urgent task for the revolutionary parties and people in their struggle to safeguard socialism.
The imperialists and reactionaries are resorting to every manner of trickery to prevent socialism from reviving in the former socialist countries. This is a scheme to bring the people of these countries under the yoke of domination and subjugation for ever. A catastrophic crisis has been created in the countries where capitalism has revived owing to the criminal moves of the imperialists and reactionaries. The crisis these countries are now faced with is not a crisis of socialism but a crisis of revived capitalism, and it shows the irrelevance of the idea of bourgeois revival. The resurgence of socialism is the only way out of the political, economic, ideological and moral confusion and crisis which are becoming more serious wit
The imperialists are resorting to every conceivable heinous plot to hold in check the advance towards socialism of the people of those countries which were subjected to national oppression and exploitation in the past and which have now embarked on the building of a new society. This is aimed at preventing them from taking the road to independence. Fighting against the imperialists’ moves for trampling down their rights to independence and for strengthening neo-colonial exploitation and plunder of them is an important link in the whole chain of the common struggle for socialism.
In the developed capitalist countries, bipolarization, “the rich getting ever richer and the poor ever poorer,” is intensifying and confrontation is growing, with the social evil becoming more serious owing to the strengthening of monopolies. Accordingly, the oppressed working masses are turning out in the struggle, lifting up their voices calling for the rights to existence, democracy and independence.
The victorious advance of the common cause of socialism will be further accelerated when the revolutionary parties and peoples give active support and encouragement to those parties and peoples that are waging an undaunted struggle for socialism under various circumstances and conditions.
It is an important task for the revolutionary parties to form a united front with the democratic political parties and organizations in the struggle to accomplish the cause of socialism. In the implementation of the socialist cause of opposing exploitation and oppression and realizing the independence of the popular masses, the revolutionary parties, and democratic parties and organizations share similar demands and interests. The socialist cause will be promoted if the revolutionary parties strengthen their unity with all the democratic parties and organizations and cooperate with them actively on the principle of mutual respect in the joint struggle for the independence of the popular masses in opposition to exploitation and oppression.
If the independence of the popular masses is to be realized, a dynamic anti-imperialist struggle should be launched. The main target of the struggle to defend socialism and ac
The driving force of the struggle to make the whole world independent is the combined anti-imperialist, independent forces. The anti-imperialist, independent forces must unite so as to put an end to domination and subordination and interference and pressure by the imperialists, to establish a fair international order based on independence, to eliminate aggression and war and to ensure world peace and security. The imperialists are using all sorts of crafty manoeuvres to divide the anti-imperialist, independent forces and set them at variance with one another. The anti-imperialist, independent forces can frustrate the imperialists’ manoeuvres for division and alienation and emerge victorious only when they counter their schemes with the strategy of unity. The anti-imperialist, independent forces can unite, transcending differences in social systems, political views, ideas and religious beliefs, nations and races because they have a common desire for independence, peace and friendship.
Should all the anti-imperialist, independent forces, including the socialist countries, the international communist and working-class movements, the national-liberation movement, the Non-aligned Movement and the world peace movement, unite in the struggle they can put an end to imperialist domination and interference and build an independent, new world.
The cause of independence, the cause of socialism, of the popular masses is a sacred one for making the ideal of humanity the reality. To unite and struggle for the victory of the cause of independence, the cause of socialism, of the popular masses is the revolutionary parties’ honourable duty to history and their people. The current complex and difficult situation makes it necessary for the revolutionary parties to fight resolutely in firm unity, filled with a conviction in victory and an indefatigable revolutionary spirit.
Our Party will, as ever, unite firmly and cooperate actively with the revolutionary parties across the world for the victory of the cause of independence, the cause of socialism, of the popular masses, and will discharge its noble mission and responsibility for the Korean revolution and the world revolution.
