A review by John Marchant of "Let Us March Forward Dynamically Along The Road of Socialism And Communism Under The Unfurled Banner of The Anti-Imperialist Struggle" Talk by Kim Jong IL to Senior Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, September 25th, 1987.
This particular talk by Kim Jong IL touches on the balance of forces in the international revolutionary process. Kim Jong IL's presentation examines from a principled and yet creative manner all the changes which have occurred in the previous 40 years within the capitalist and developing countries and how to consolidate the positions of the Korean revolution. Kim Jong IL begins his work with an analysis of the hegemony of US imperialism since 1945. The United States establish its position as the world's leading imperialist power and even in the 2020s, still retains that advantage. Neo-colonialism had become a means of exploiting the developing countries. Wealth and resources have been transferred from the Global South to the Imperialist North, thus creating a labor aristocracy in the capitalist countries of Europe and North America.
By its very nature, capitalism cannot resolve its fundamental contradictions, the law of overproduction, exploitation and the accumulation of wealth.
Kim Jong IL examines that when the market channels are clogged with excess products, capitalists are moving towards deforming the material life of people by creating an artificial demand. Late capitalism has been restored to stimulating extravagance, corruption, and dissipation. Consumerism with its ramified network of mass communication exerts huge influence on the popular masses and degrades them into producers and consumers.
Kim Jong IL reflects on how the capitalists are spreading the most reactionary and retrograde ideas. The promotion of a degenerative and egoistic mentality helps to paralyze the working masses' consciousness of independence and turns them into passive objects of exploitation. The by-products of the decaying capitalist society is the evaluation of immorality, all manner of depravity and anti-social behaviour. Anything resembling a collective body, whether be of a progressive or conservative nature is ruthlessly undermined by big capital.
Kim Jong IL looks at how the capitalist class maintains its rule by coercion and consent, by using methods of deception and corruption. The pacification of the masses is another route used by the ruling elite in maintaining its power. Ultimately, the bourgeois state is keeping its control over society by means of repressive machinery.
im Jong IL looks at the question of building up the subject of the revolutionary struggle which is decisive in destroying imperialism. The changing nature of the social composition of the working class is examined in the work. That many new strata have been added to the ranks of the working class such as intellectuals and technicians. This social change brought in some negative aspects of introducing petty-bourgeois ideolgoy and practice into the labour movements. The point at issue is how the Progressive forces utilize this development and conduct political work among this new section of working people. A key element of the Juche Idea is the role of ideological consciousness, the working masses do not take part in the class struggle spontaneously.
Kim Jong IL points out that people are not only impelled to revolution and social change by poverty. There is the basic desire of the human, the social being to become the master of state and society, to be in control of his/her surroundings. Even though the standard of living of the intelligentsia is relatively stable in the developed capitalist countries, this stratum longs for authentic existence, an independent life. In other words, the failure to aspire after socialism among these strata and the working masses in general in the capitalist countries was due to the lack of proper ideological education and creative leadership, due to dogmatic and formalistic positions taken in regard to mass work.
Kim Jong IL goes to say that revolutionary theory is not a dogma, but a guide to action. The revolutionary forces must develop their theories steadily to suit the changes in the prevailing circumstances. To ensure the decisive role of the popular masses, to revolutionize them, to win them over to anti-imperialist and socialistic positions, and to decisively lead the working people to victory over capitalism in a new upsurge.
Kim Jong IL in the concluding paragraphs of his work, calls on the revolutionary peoples of the world to unite and rise up in the struggle against imperialism. The strength of Korean-style socialism is the strong adherence to independence and creativity, to constantly consolidate the revolutionary gains.
This work by Kim Jong IL is both an inspiration and a guide to all progressives, anti-imperialists, and socialists struggling for social change, for independence, and against the injustices and inequalities of imperialism. It is a work that overcomes the pessimism of the post-modernist Left and the dead hand of clapped-out revisionism, with its refreshing creativity and call for action.
John Marchant
Member Staffordshire KFA UK
Member Stoke On Trent branch of the British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea
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