Juche

Address to the First Vice-President of the Venezuelan Movement to Socialism

    September 7, 1981

    I am glad to meet you, a noted Venezuelan politician.

    I am very grateful that you are visiting our country and, in particular, for your active participation in the Symposium of the Non-aligned and Other Developing Countries on Increasing Food and Agricultural Production.

    Today you have said many fine words which would be an inspiration for our Party and our people. I thank you for this.

    I am also grateful for the active support and encouragement given by the Venezuelan Movement to Socialism to our people’s cause of national reunification and, in particular, for your great work in favour of the reunification of our country.

    You have just talked about the foreign policy of the Venezuelan Movement to Socialism and its revolutionary line, and we fully support them.

    I think that our Party and the Venezuelan Movement to Socialism have identical views on the matter of upholding independence. To uphold independence in party and state activities is the most justified policy that conforms with the requirements of the present time.

    Needless to say, we learned the theory and method of revolutionary struggle from revolutionary pioneers like Marx and Lenin. But we cannot dogmatically apply their revolutionary theory and method for ever. As years roll by, the nature of the times and the social circumstances change and the objectives of the revolution, too, change. As the objectives of the revolution change, its nature changes and its theory and method, too, ought to change.

    Marx said that revolution would take place successively in developed capitalist countries carrying the world revolution to victory. He thought that when the revolution took place in developed capitalist countries, the national liberation movement in colonies would triumph spontaneously. But history did not turn out as Marx had anticipated. As history shows, revolution did not take place successively in developed capitalist countries but broke out in backward countries first.

    That the revolution was victorious in Russia, a backward capitalist country, is to Lenin’s credit. The Russian revolution was led by Lenin. The Russian revolution carried out under the leadership of Lenin made a great contribution to the development of the world revolution. The victory of the Russian revolution injected the oppressed nations and the peoples of backward countries of the world with the confidence that if they waged a revolutionary struggle they could win.

    But historical facts show that the way adopted by Lenin is not the only way to win a revolution. Not in all countries of the world can a revolution be only conducted in the manner used by Lenin to wage the revolutionary struggle.

    Revolution can neither be exported nor imported. One must settle all problems arising in the revolutionary struggle in accordance with the actual conditions of one’s country by drawing on the strength of one’s people.

    Ours is the age of independence.

    After World War II many countries achieved independence. The time is gone when such countries as France, Britain, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands with their many colonies dominated various continents of the world. Now nearly all countries which were under the colonial yoke in the past have been liberated. Only a few countries in some areas, including Southern Africa, have not yet attained national independence.

    The most important problem confronting the peoples who have won national independence today is how to consolidate the political inde¬pendence of their countries and how to defend their independence.

    Independence is the life and soul of the country and people. All countries from their inception have sovereignty. A country without sovereignty cannot be truly called an independent state.

    Although countries may differ from each other in the size of territory or population, there should not be higher and lower countries. There must not, on any account, be superiority or inferiority in relationships between nations.

    The same applies to the relations between parties, too. As you have said, there cannot be a father party and a son party, a grandfather party and a grandson party, or an eldest brother party and a younger brother party. We think you are absolutely right when you claim that the principle of independence should be observed between parties. Your viewpoint is in full agreement with our Party’s. Our Party always advocates that all countries and parties uphold independence.

    In order to consolidate political independence and uphold independ¬ence all countries should build an independent national economy. Building an independent national economy means attaining economic independence by building an economy suited to the actual conditions of one’s country by relying on the strength of one’s own people.

    Economic self-sufficiency is the material foundation of political independence and sovereignty. Failing economic self-sufficiency, political dependence on other countries is inevitable and inequality between nations would not be abolished. Economic self-sufficiency is essential for consolidating political independence and sovereignty and for ensuring the free development of the nation.

    If countries which have achieved political independence do not build an independent national economy but economically depend on other countries, they would in fact be subordinated to the latter, and they cannot be considered to be genuinely independent. Even a country which is building socialism, if it is economically dependent on other countries, is as good as having lost political independence, however progressive its social system may be and whatever anti-imperialist slogan it may put up.

    The people’s objective in the struggle against imperialism is to achieve independence by winning the political independence of the country. And if a country is economically dependent on other countries again because of its failure to attain economic independence after it has thrown off the colonial yoke of imperialism, its achievement of political independence would become meaningless, for, in the final analysis, this would signify nothing more than changing one form of subordination for another. A country which has lost independence and has no sovereignty can never be called an independent state.

    We maintain that not only nations but also people should uphold independence.

    There is a song in our country which has been sung since the time when we started the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle. Our young people enjoy singing the song even now. It has passages which say: “Men are called men, for they are born equally free. Without the right of freedom men are as good as dead, so they can lay down their lives but not freedom.”

    Man wishes to live freely without being restrained by anything. The quality of man to live freely as the master of the world is termed independence.

    Along with independence, man has creativity. This means that he has the creative power to transform nature and society in accordance with his will and wishes.

    Independence and creativity constitute the most essential attrib¬utes of man. Because he has independence and creativity, man becomes the master of everything and the factor that decides everything.

    Man’s independence and creativity are closely interrelated and they are manifested in a unified process. Only when man has independence can he display creativity, and only when he displays creativity can he maintain independence. If man has no independence, he cannot display creativity, and if he cannot display creativity, he cannot achieve independence.

    Although independence and creativity are essential attributes of man, they are not inborn. In our country efforts are made to foster independence and creativity in people from the moment they are born. We continue to cultivate independence and creativity in people from their childhood till they become adults after going through adolescence.

    After seeing the realities of our country, people from the countries of the third world and the Asian, African and Latin-American countries ask us from where is such great strength derived. Our strength lies in the fact that all the people work by displaying independence and creativity with a great awareness that they are the masters of the country. The strength of the masses of the people is inexhaustible. It is therefore very important to believe in their strength and solve all problems by drawing on it.

    The Juche idea is a philosophy which puts the main emphasis on man. It places man in the centre of all thinking and shows people the way to shape out their destiny. That we have the Juche idea and that all people are equipped with the Juche outlook on the world constitute the source of indestructible strength.

    Because we have the Juche idea, we won the struggle against Japanese imperialism and also the struggle against American imperialism, and have been able to build such a fine country as we see today on the ruins of the all-destructive war.

    Since all our people are equipped firmly with the Juche idea, we believe we are fully capable of achieving national reunification. The reunification of our country is a question of time.

    At present the American imperialists have brought atomic bombs and ultra-modern fighter planes to south Korea and are conducting bombing exercises every day to intimidate us. But our people are not afraid of them. Even if the American imperialists unleash a new war in our country, they would not be able to kill all of the Koreans. Our people would inevitably win by fighting the American imperialist aggressors to the last man.

    The enthusiasm of the south Korean youth and people for learning the Juche idea is now running higher every day. In the past there was a considerable measure of worship as well as fear of the United States amongst the south Korean people. But as the days go by, the south Korean people have come to realize that the United States is not to be feared and that the American imperialists are crooks. They are gradually shedding the admiration and fear of the United States and their faith in the Juche idea is increasing with each passing day.

    Firmly equipped with the Juche world outlook and fighting on along the road indicated by the Juche idea, our people are convinced that they will surely win in the future as they did in the past.

    Today the international situation is very complex.

    Due to the American imperialists’ moves for aggression and war, the situation is becoming extremely tense and the threat of a new world war is growing every day. Today the danger of a world war exists in Korea and Southeast Asia and also in Europe. But if Europe takes the road of independence and Japan does the same in Asia, the world war can be prevented.

    When I met a delegation from a European country that visited our country some time ago, I told them that if developed capitalist countries of Europe such as France, West Germany and Britain followed the road of independence and the whole of Europe was turned independent, a new world war could be prevented. Now a Japanese politician is staying in our country. When I meet him, I would like to advise him to see that Japan take the road of independence.

    We should wage the struggle against American imperialism in two ways.

    One is to destroy it by a revolutionary method. Revolutionary countries should all endeavour to tear American imperialism apart, cutting off its arms here and its legs there. In other words, the revolutionary struggle against American imperialism should be waged vigorously wherever its tentacles of aggression are extended.

    The other is to destroy American imperialism politically. This means that all countries uphold independence and desist from following the lead of the American imperialists. Then these imperialists would be isolated internationally and find it impossible to throw their weight about any longer.

    The American imperialists have long been resorting to the sly trick of pitting one country against another and taking advantage from their quarrels.

    During World War I, too, they used the same artifice to reap a windfall. In that war, they made a bonanza out of the fight between Germany and Russia. In World War II, they suffered no losses. As a result, they became rich.

    The American imperialists are employing the same old trick today. In Asia they are trying to make Asians fight Asians, and in Latin America they have placed some large countries under their control in an attempt to dominate smaller nations through them. In Africa and the Middle East, too, they are manoeuvring in the same way.

    If countries which are subordinate to the American imperialists stop trailing behind them and all peoples of the world take the road of independence, the American imperialists would be politically isolated and become helpless. Therefore, in order to prevent a new world war and preserve world peace, all countries of the world should energetically struggle to defend and uphold independence.

    The American imperialists are most afraid of the fact that the people of the world are following the road of independence. They are afraid of the Korean people not because we have atomic bombs but because our people are firmly equipped with the Juche idea and uphold independence unfalteringly. This time they have exerted pressure on Venezuela to prevent it from sending its government delegation to the Symposium of the Non-aligned and Other Developing Countries on Increasing Food and Agricultural Production, and this is because they were afraid that the Venezuelan people would go their own independent way.

    I think that our two Parties’ belief in upholding independence is justified. We are advancing along the right path and we are doing just things. I am glad that the independent policy pursued by the Venezuelan Movement to Socialism tallies with the independence advocated by our Party. Our two Parties should continue to uphold independence.

    We will welcome any country taking the road of independence. Because going the way of independence is in agreement with the interests of the people.

    The people who advance under the banner of independence will inevitably win. I believe firmly that if the Venezuelan Movement to Socialism awakens the independent spirit amongst the people and rallies them closely and advances under the banner of independence, it would surely emerge victorious.

    I would like to ask you, upon returning home, to convey my greetings to the President and the Secretary-General of the Venezuelan Movement to Socialism. And would you please tell them that our Party extends an invitation to them to visit our country? If they visit our country, we would accord them warm welcome. If we meet, we would be able to discuss many problems as good companions in arms and comrades.

    I am very delighted to have met and talked with you today. I am greatly inspired by your good remarks about us.

    Although far away from each other across the ocean, I hope our two Parties will fight on in concert to defend the independence of the people of the world.

    I hope that when you return home, you will convey our Party’s greetings to the leadership and all members of the Venezuelan Movement to Socialism.