Answer from comrade Alan Bolon KFA UK Organisation Secretary and head of KFA UK West of England to the 8th Joint Songun-Juche Idea study session and Q and A

QUESTION: Would you agree that one reason that development of ideology in the masses is so necessary is that in the development of socialism national production must focus its efforts on heavy industry (in particular iteration and improvement) and defence. 

This can cause a delay in the production of light industry and the output of consumer goods as they are not immediately urgent. Therefore the workers must understand the importance of the development of both defence and heavy industry, and how it relates to the ideology of the nation. To some degree they must make a sacrifice, and they must understand what it is for. 

Would you agree? Or is the initial holding back of light industry just a Trotskyist attack on socialist development in USSR, China, DPRK et al? 

Essentially, is ideological development necessary to help prepare the people for sacrifice? What are those sacrifices? And do they involve the focusing of production on heavy industry and defence? 

ANSWER: National production in the socialist system depends on the plan, and thus the plan depends on the current political and social situation and the economic level of development of certain country, and on the current needs. For the development of the country in all areas, not only economic ones, there is a need for a wise and reasonable division of the national income generated by the socialist economy between consumption and accumulation, i.e. funds for investment. What this division will be will always depend on current needs. The development of heavy industry, defense or other industries always takes more of the generated national income from the accumulation fund and less is allocated for consumption. If there is such a need, as in the DPRK in the current conditions where imperialist forces are growing stronger, the workers can devote its development of prosperity and wellbeing from consumption funds to meet investment and heavy industrial investments needs. In this sense, it is not an ideological development, but the development of class consciousness of workers ready for sacrifice and acceptance of a lower standard of living for a certain period, in order to direct funds to investments rather than consumption. The class consciousness of workers in the socialist state and the promotion of dedication to increasing the strength and strengthening of the national economy, including the defense industry, is influenced by propaganda and agitation activities conducted under the direction of the communist party.

Stopping the development of light industry is not a Trotskyist attack and in each of the countries mentioned it had different reasons. In the USSR, in reference to the guidelines for building the foundations of socialism, heavy industry first had priority in development, and this was also due to the war needs of World War II and the construction of the foundations of socialism after this war, in order to build a production base for the development of other industries. In the DPRK it was different, first the agrarian reform was carried out because it was the most important time requirement to eliminate the property of landowners, and then the emphasis was placed on the development of industry. So, it is objective conditions that dictate the direction, not dogma.