Juche

    The struggle of the popular masses for independence to transform society, nature and man does not stay in one place, but develops continuously.

    As the struggle of the masses for independence intensifies, independence is realized at a higher level and human society develops onto a higher stage.

    　　　Then, what is the law-governed process of the struggle of the masses for independence?

    　　　By clarifying the sequent process of transforming society, nature and man, the Juche idea gives a profound elucidation of the law-governed process of the development of human society according to the intensification of the masses’ struggle for independence.

    　　　The Juche idea clarified that it is an important law of the development of the masses’ struggle for independence that social and political independence is first realized and then the transformation of nature and man comes to fore.

    　　　We studied in the previous lesson that in order to realize independence of the popular masses, they must be free from social bondage, natural fetters and the shackles of outdated ideas and culture and for doing so, it is necessary to transform society, nature and man. However, it is impossible to get rid of social bondage, the fetters of nature and outdated ideas and culture all at once.

    For this reason, the transformation of society, nature and man can not come to the fore altogether from the beginning, and the people’s struggle for independence is intensified in a certain order.

    　　　First of all, the task of realizing social and political independence of the masses through social reform is primarily raised and fulfilled in the development of the people’s struggle for independence.

     Leader Kim Jong Il said.

     “The primary question arising in the struggle of the popular masses for independence is to realize independence socially and politically.”

    　　　To realize social and political independence means to enable the popular masses to exercise political rights as masters of state and society, free from all kinds of social bondage, inequality, exploitation and oppression.

    　　　Then, what is the reason why the realization of social and political independence of the masses through social reform arises as a primary task?

    　　　There are two important reasons for it

    　　　First, it is because man is a social being.

    　　　As mentioned in the previous lesson, social and political integrity is the most important for man.

    　　　If man loses social and political integrity, he is no better than an animal and he is the same as dead as a social being though he is alive.

    　　　The genuine feature of human being is that he has social and political integrity.

    　　　That is why, people do not regard as human being those who turn traitors to their country and nation or those who do no work for society and live, idling away, and revolutionaries regard it is better being killed in a fight than living as slaves.

    　　　It is most important therefore to realize social and political independence in realizing man’s independence. Social and political independence is realized when the popular masses become masters of state power and production means through social reform. Therefore, we say that the struggle for social reform is the most important in the struggle to realize independence of the popular masses.

    　　　Secondly, it is because to realize social and political independence is the key to man’s freedom from natural fetters and also to his ideological and cultural development.

    　　　 As long as they are subjugated socially and politically, the masses of the people can neither adequately get any benefit from the productive forces, even if these are so developed as to create lots of material wealth, nor can they be free from the bondage of reactionary ideas and cultural backwardness.

    　　　Why had the Korean people led an utterly indigent life though they worked hard under the colonial rule of the Japanese imperialism? Needless to say, it is because they lost the country to the Japanese imperialists and they were subjugated socially and politically to be deprived of everything created by them.

    　　　Nevertheless, some national reformists in Korea in those days did great harm to the anti-Japanese national liberation struggle of the Korean people by means of sophistry such as “the cultivation of national might by the promotion of education and industry” and “self-cultivation of each individual” instead of struggling for the achievement of political independence. Under the condition that Korean people were deprived of the whole country and all political rights by the Japanese imperialism, it was merely an empty talk in disregard of reality to say about “the cultivation of national might” through the development of education and industry and it was nothing but sophism which opposed all kinds of violent struggles including an armed struggle and preached the principle of non-resistance to say that “self-cultivation is the one and only way to the restoration of national sovereignty”.

    　　　It is the stark fact which have been proved by human history that the popular masses can lead an independent material life, free from the fetters of nature and bring about genuine ideological and cultural development on the powerful socio-political foundation only when they hold the position as master of society.

    　　　The history of human society, ever since the birth of exploitation and oppression, is the history of social revolution to realize the social and political independence for the people.

    　　　Through the social revolutions at different stages to transform society in a revolutionary way, some progress was made in the realization of social and political independence of the popular masses, but radical change was not brought about before the establishment of socialist system through the socialist revolution.

    　　　The liquidation of the capitalist system and the establishment of a new socialist system mark a historic turning point in the development of the revolutionary struggle to realize independence of the popular masses. With the establishment of the socialist system, all exploiting classes and institutions which trample upon the aspirations and demands of the masses for independence, are abolished, and the masses are provided with the necessary conditions which enable them to hold state power and production means in their hands and lead a fully independent life.

    　　　The whole course of human history shows that it is a lawful requirement of the development of the masses’ struggle for independence that social transformation to realize social and political independence of the masses is primarily undertaken and achieved in the exploiting society where social and political independence of the masses is not realized.

    　　　Next, the transformation of nature and man is fully undertaken and achieved in the development of peoples’ struggle for independence after revolutionary change was made in the social system.

    　　　In order to fully realize independence of the masses, it is necessary to make them the masters of nature and themselves, and to free them from all kinds of social bondage and fetters to make them the masters of state and society. When socialist system was established and people’s socio-political independence is realized, what comes to the fore is to get free from fetters of nature and bondage of old ideology and culture.

    　　　Of course, the masses of the people have continuously struggled to increase social wealth, develop productive forces of society and extend mastery over nature and to enhance their level of ideological consciousness and culture.

    　　　 The transformation of nature and man, that is, the historic cause of freeing the popular masses from the fetters of nature and outdated ideas and culture and developing them to be real possessors of independent ideological consciousness and culture, can be fully undertaken and achieved with success only in the socialist society where the popular masses are masters of state and society.

    　　　In the socialist society the popular masses, masters of state and society, participate in the work to transform nature and man with every creativity and high level of consciousness as befitting masters, and take hold of all means in a unified way and use them effectively. As a result, the transformation of nature and man is pushed forward well and quickly on the whole society-wide scale.

     Human society inevitably develops into a higher stage continuously through the lawful process in which social reform to realize social and political independence of the popular masses is achieved first and at the next stage the transformation of nature and man is fully undertaken and achieved.