IMPORTANT QUOTES FROM "SOCIALISM IS A SCIENCE " BY KIM JONG IL

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."

" 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."

 "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."

 "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 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."

" 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."

" 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."

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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."