134-555: Great Leader may refer to: North Korean concept and leaders [ edit ] Great Leader (concept) , the "Great Leader" concept/theory forms the basis on how North Korea is to be ruled Kim Il Sung , known officially as (The Great Leader) in North Korea Kim Jong Il , Kim Il Sung's son Kim Jong Un , Kim Jong Il's son and Kim Il Sung's grandson Other people [ edit ] Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ,
268-429: A classless society and egalitarianism . A few critics have dismissed the idea that Juche is an ideology altogether. Myers argues that Juche cannot be described as a true political ideology because it does not have an underlying belief system , while Alzo David-West calls it "meaningless on logical and naturalistic grounds". American political analyst Robert E. Kelly argues that Juche exists solely to protect
402-736: A "sacred leader" in Juche as well as the cult around the Kim family has been compared to the State Shinto ideology of Imperial Japan , in which the Emperor was seen as a divine being . Through the fundamental belief in the essential role of the Great Leader, Kim Il Sung has become the "supreme deity for the people" and the Juche doctrine is reinforced in North Korea's constitution as
536-470: A Great Leader is essential for the popular masses to succeed in their revolutionary movement because without leadership they cannot survive. This is the foundation of Kim Il Sung's cult of personality . The personality cult explains how the Juche ideology has endured, even during the North Korean government's undeniable dependence on foreign assistance during its famine in the 1990s. The concept of
670-645: A base in heavy industry, with the aim to become as self-sufficient as possible. As a result, it developed what has been called the "most autarkic industrial economy in the world". North Korea received economic aid and technical assistance from the Soviet Union and China, but it did not join Comecon , the communist common market. In the 1990s, it had one of the world's lowest rates for dependence on petroleum , using hydroelectric power and coal instead of imported oil. Its textile industry uses vinylon , known as
804-464: A class of slaves , then feudalism which was based on nobles and serfs , and then capitalism which is based on the capitalist class ( bourgeoisie ) and the working class ( proletariat ). In his idea of a future communist society, Marx explains that classes would no longer exist, and therefore the exploitation of one class by another is abolished. To historical materialists, hunter-gatherer societies constituted primitive communist societies. In
938-532: A collection of "high-sounding dramas of princes and states". While studying at the University of Berlin , Marx encountered the philosophy of Hegel (1770–1831) which had a profound and lasting influence on his thinking. One of Hegel's key critiques of enlightenment philosophy was that while thinkers were often able to describe what made societies from one epoch to the next different, they struggled to account for why they changed. Classical economists presented
1072-566: A framework for resisting colonialism and economic dependency ,asserting that every state has the right to self-determination . Yielding to foreign pressure or intervention would violate the principle of political independence and threaten a country's ability to defend its sovereignty. This is in contrast to sadaejuui ( 사대주의 ), which advocates reliance on a great power . However, Juche does not advocate total isolation and encourages cooperation between socialist states. As Kim Jong Il writes in On
1206-531: A guiding principle of North Korea's diplomatic strategy. As countries in the Eastern Bloc collapsed and introduced market reforms, North Korea increasingly emphasized Juche in both theory and practice. Even amid economic and political crises, North Korea continues to emphasize its independence on the world stage. After the devastation of the Korean War, North Korea began to rebuild its economy with
1340-422: A lack of state . Slave societies, the ancient mode of production , were formed as productive forces advanced, namely due to agriculture and its ensuing abundance which led to the abandonment of nomadic society. Slave societies were marked by their use of slavery and minor private property ; production for use was the primary form of production. Slave society is considered by historical materialists to be
1474-412: A material quality possessed by them, since now, in contrast to capitalist society, individual labor no longer exists in an indirect fashion but directly as a component part of total labor. The phrase "proceeds of labor", objectionable also today on account of its ambiguity, thus loses all meaning. What we have to deal with here is a communist society, not as it has developed on its own foundations, but, on
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#17327721467451608-406: A model of civil society based on a universal and unchanging human nature. Hegel challenged this view and argued that human nature as well as the formulations of art, science and the institutions of the state and its codes, laws and norms were all defined by their history and could only be understood by examining their historical development. Hegel’s philosophical thought saw it as an expression of
1742-462: A move from socialism to nationalism . This was evident in a speech presented by Kim Jong Il in 1982, during celebrations of his father's 70th birthday , in which he stated that love for the nation came before love for socialism. This particularism gave birth to such concepts as "A Theory of the Korean Nation as Number One" ( 조선민족제일주의 ) and "Socialism of Our Style" ( 우리식사회주의 ). Following
1876-526: A novel by Jim Harrison See also [ edit ] Paramount leader Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Great Leader . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Leader&oldid=1256833839 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2010-430: A primitive communist society, the productive forces would have consisted of all able-bodied persons engaged in obtaining food and resources from the land, and everyone would share in what was produced by hunting and gathering. There would be no private property , which is distinguished from personal property such as articles of clothing and similar personal items, because primitive society produced no surplus; what
2144-554: A profound explanation of the theories, strategies and tactics of national liberation, class emancipation and human liberations in our era. Thus, it can be said that the revolutionary theory of Kimilsungism is a perfect revolutionary theory of Communism in the era of Juche . According to analyst Shin Gi-wook, the ideas of Juche and Kimilsungism are in essence the "expressions of North Korean particularism over supposedly more universalistic Marxism–Leninism". The new terminology signalled
2278-681: A purge of pro-Soviet and pro-Chinese elements from the WPK. North Korea rejected the de-Stalinization efforts of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev but avoided taking sides during the Sino-Soviet split . North Korea was admitted to the Non-Aligned Movement in 1975 and has since presented itself as a leader of the Third World , promoting Juche as a model for developing countries to follow. National survival has been seen as
2412-417: A revolution in human thought, and a break from previous ways of understanding the underlying basis of change within various human societies. As Marx puts it, "a coherence arises in human history" because each generation inherits the productive forces developed previously and in turn further develops them before passing them on to the next generation. Further, this coherence increasingly involves more of humanity
2546-571: A single socio-political organism. The consolidation of blood relations between the leader, the Party and the masses is guaranteed by the single ideology and united leadership. Critics have called Juche a nationalist ideology and a departure from Marxist–Leninist principles. American Koreanist Brian Reynolds Myers argues that Juche has more in common with Japanese fascism and ultranationalism than Marxism–Leninism. Korean political scientist Suh Dae-sook argues that Kim Il Sung did not explain
2680-507: A society that has conjured up such gigantic means of production and of exchange, is like the sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom he has called up by his spells. [...] The productive forces at the disposal of society no longer tend to further the development of the conditions of bourgeois property; on the contrary, they have become too powerful for these conditions, by which they are fettered, and so soon as they overcome these fetters, they bring disorder into
2814-492: A specific culture rather than an eternal truth: "Philosophy is its own age comprehended in thought." In each society, humans were 'free by nature" but constrained by their "brutal recklessness of passion" and "untamed natural impulses" that led to injustice and violence. It was only through wider society and the state , which was expressed in each historical epoch, by a "spirit of the age", collective consciousness or geist , that "Freedom" could be realized. For Hegel, history
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#17327721467452948-528: A variety of works from the 1840s onward. Since Marx's time, the theory has been modified and expanded. It now has many Marxist and non-Marxist variants. Marx's view of history was shaped by his engagement with the intellectual and philosophical movement known as the Age of Enlightenment and the profound scientific, political, economic and social transformations that took place in Britain and other parts of Europe in
3082-586: Is shutai . The word was coined in 1887 to translate the concept of Subjekt in German philosophy ( subject , meaning "the entity perceiving or acting upon an object or environment") into Japanese. The word migrated to the Korean language at around the turn of the century and retained this meaning. Shutai went on to appear in Japanese translations of Karl Marx 's writings. North Korean editions of Marx used
3216-641: Is a Socialism of Our Style as Embodied by the Juche Idea" ( 우리 나라 사회주의는 주체 사상을 구현한 우리식 사회주의이다 ). Speaking after the Revolutions of 1989 that brought down the Eastern Bloc countries, Kim Jong Il explicitly stated that North Korea needed – and survived because of – Socialism of Our Style. He argued that socialism in Eastern Europe failed because they "imitated
3350-458: Is a lengthy polemic against Marx and Engels' fellow Young Hegelians and contemporaries Ludwig Feuerbach , Bruno Bauer , and Max Stirner . In the Marxian view, human history is like a river. From any given vantage point, a river looks much the same day after day. But actually it is constantly flowing and changing, crumbling its banks, widening and deepening its channel. The water seen one day
3484-450: Is a revolutionary theory which occupies the highest stage of development of the revolutionary ideology of the working class", Kim Jong Il said, further stating that the originality and superiority of the Juche idea defined and strengthened Korean socialism. He then conceded by stating that Socialism of Our Style was "a man-centered Socialism", explicitly making a break with basic Marxist–Leninist thought, which argues that material forces are
3618-485: Is an amalgam of contesting forces – some promoting stability and others striving for change. It is not just external factors that bring about transformation but internal contradictions. The unceasing drive of this dynamic is played out by real people struggling to achieve their aims. The outcome is that ideas, institutions and bodies of society are reconfigured into new forms expressing new characteristics. At certain decisive moments in history, during periods of great conflict,
3752-484: Is at the heart of Marx's account of history. Marx viewed labor throughout history, in all societies and in all modes of production, from the earliest Paleolithic hunter gatherers through to feudal societies and to modern capitalist economies as an "everlasting Nature-imposed condition of human existence" that compels humans to join socially to produce their means of subsistence. Marx identified two mutually interdependent structures of humans' interaction with nature and
3886-486: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Great Leader (concept) Juche ( English: / ˈ dʒ uː tʃ eɪ / , JOO -chay ; Korean : 주체 ; MR : Chuch'e ; Korean: [tɕutɕʰe] ), officially the Juche idea , is a component of Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, the state ideology of North Korea and
4020-408: Is law-governed, but that it is only man who drives progress, stating that "the popular masses are the drivers of history". The process for the masses to reach consciousness, independence, and creativity requires the "leadership of a great leader". Marxism–Leninism argues that the popular masses will lead (on the basis of their relation to production), but in North Korea the role of a correct leadership
4154-502: Is never the same as that seen the next. Some of it is constantly being evaporated and drawn up, to return as rain. From year to year these changes may be scarcely perceptible. But one day, when the banks are thoroughly weakened and the rains long and heavy, the river floods, bursts its banks, and may take a new course. This represents the dialectical part of Marx's famous theory of dialectical (or historical) materialism. — Hubert Kay, Life , 1948 Marx based his theory of history on
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4288-406: Is not claiming that productive forces always develop or that they never decline. Their development may be temporarily blocked, but because human beings have a rational interest in developing their capacities to control their interactions with external nature in order to satisfy their wants, the historical tendency is strongly toward further development of these capacities. Broadly, the importance of
4422-693: Is not the perfection of political independence alone. The evil forces craftily manipulate the economic levers in order to perpetuate their supremacy and reduce us to vassals and eternal mendicants. The North Korean government established the International Institute of the Juche Idea (initially the International Juche Research Centre) in Tokyo in 1978 to supervise international Juche study groups' activities. Tribute plaques from these groups are contained in
4556-666: Is officially known as Juche sasang ( 주체사상 ) in Korean and the Juche idea in English. Juche sasang literally means " subject idea" and has also been translated as Juche thought or Jucheism. Adherents of Juche are sometimes referred to as "Jucheists". Official statements by the North Korean government attribute the origin of Juche to Kim Il Sung's experiences in the Down-with-Imperialism Union during Korea's liberation struggle against Japan. However,
4690-733: Is one of the largest on earth and has developed its own nuclear missiles. It produces UDMH fuel for liquid-fueled missiles and Tumansky RD-9 Turbojet engines, which power the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 and Shenyang J-6 . CNC machines produce missiles and centrifuges. North Korea's propaganda since the Korean War has contrasted its military autonomy with the presence of U.S. forces in the South. Kim Il Sung believed that Juche 's principles could be applied worldwide. North Korea has organized international seminars on Juche since 1976. The International Scientific Seminar on
4824-441: Is required to organize a unified and effective group. South Korean political scientist Lee Kyo-duk argues that Suryong helped Kim Il Sung establish a unitary system over North Korea. The theory says the leader has a decisive role as an absolute supreme leader. The leader is like the brain of the working class, who is the driving force of revolution. The leader is also a flawless human being who never commits mistakes, who guides
4958-633: Is the Arirang Festival , a gymnastic and artistic festival held in the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang. All components of the festival, from the selection of performers, mobilization of resources, recruitment of the audience, and publicity for the show have been compared to facets of a national religious event. Historical materialist Historical materialism is Karl Marx 's theory of history. Marx located historical change in
5092-402: Is the key feature of the explanation." It is because the influences in the two directions are not symmetrical that it makes sense to speak of primary and secondary factors, even where one is giving a non-reductionist, "holistic" account of social interaction. To summarize, history develops in accordance with the following observations: Many writers note that historical materialism represented
5226-606: Is to establish a self-reliant state that independently determines its political, economic, and military affairs. Kim Il Sung summarized the application of this objective to North Korea in a 1967 speech to the Supreme People's Assembly titled "Let Us Embody the Revolutionary Spirit of Independence, Self-sustenance and Self-defence More Thoroughly in All Fields of State Activity": First, the government of
5360-1118: The Cartesian rationalism of philosophers such as Descartes . Notable philosophers expounding materialist views included Francis Bacon , Pierre Gassendi , and John Locke . They were followed by a series of materialists in France in the 18th century such as Étienne Bonnot de Condillac , Claude Adrien Helvétius , and Baron d'Holbach . In the 19th century, the pre-Marxist communists Théodore Dézamy and Jules Gay adopted materialism in their historical analysis of society as well. Marx inherited his materialist philosophy from this Gassendi-Dezamy line of thinkers. Marx's ideas were also influenced by his reading of Young Hegelian writer Ludwig Feuerbach 's 1833 work Geschichte der neuern Philosophie von Bacon von Verulam bis Benedict Spinoza which covered Gassendi's materialist philosophy as well as Gassendi's treatment on materialist Ancient Greek philosophers such as Epicurus , Leucippus , and Democritus . Inspired by Enlightenment thinkers, especially Condorcet,
5494-588: The Juche Idea took place in Antananarivo , Madagascar , from 28 to 30 September 1976 under the sponsorship of the Democratic Republic of Madagascar . Many prominent party and government officials, public figures, representatives of revolutionary and progressive organizations, scientists and journalists from more than 50 countries attended. Malagasy President Didier Ratsiraka expressed strong sympathy and support for North Korea. An excerpt from
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5628-872: The Juche Tower in Pyongyang . In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Black Panther Party of the United States studied Juche . In 2016, the Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party declared Juche its guiding idea. A number of far-right groups have also adopted Juche . The Order of Nine Angles -affiliated Rural People's Party adheres to Juche and reportedly has connections with North Korean officials. The Atomwaffen Division also promotes Juche . Songun ( 선군정치 ; Sŏn'gun chŏngch'i ; lit. military-first politics)
5762-418: The Kim family 's monopoly over political power in North Korea. However, Myers dismisses the idea that Juche is North Korea's leading ideology, regarding its public exaltation as designed to deceive foreigners. He argues that it exists to be praised and not actually read. Based on his experience living in North Korea, Swiss businessman Felix Abt calls Myers's arguments "shaky" and "questionable". Having seen
5896-443: The bourgeoisie . However, production was still largely for use. The capitalist mode of production materialized when the rising bourgeois class grew large enough to institute a shift in the productive forces. The bourgeoisie's primary form of production was in the form of commodities , i.e. they produced with the purpose of exchanging their products. As this commodity production grew, the old feudal systems came into conflict with
6030-700: The death of Kim Jong Il in December 2011, Kimilsungism became Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism ( 김일성-김정일주의 ) at the 4th Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea in April 2012. Party members at the conference also stated that the WPK was "the party of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il" and declared Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism "the only guiding idea of the party". Afterwards, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated that "the Korean people have long called
6164-450: The serfdom from the countryside to the city, forming a new proletarian class. This caused the countryside to become reliant on large cities. Subsequently, the new capitalist mode of production also began expanding into other societies that had not yet developed a capitalist system (e.g. the scramble for Africa ). The Communist Manifesto stated: National differences and antagonism between peoples are daily more and more vanishing, owing to
6298-512: The utopian socialist Henri de Saint-Simon (1760–1825) formulated his own materialist interpretation of history, similar to those later used in Marxism, analyzing historical epochs based on their level of technology and organization and dividing them between eras of slavery , serfdom , and finally wage labor . According to the socialist leader Jean Jaurès , the French writer Antoine Barnave
6432-413: The " Juche fiber", which was invented by a Korean and is made from locally available coal and limestone. The history of vinylon often features in propaganda that preaches the virtues of technological self-reliance. North Korea had 10,000 CNC machines in 2010. The first domestic homemade CNC machine was introduced in 1995, and in 2017 it had around 15,000 machines. Commentators have often pointed out
6566-580: The "spirit of the age" drive history was mistaken in Marx's view. Hegel, wrote Marx, "fell into the illusion of conceiving the real as the product of thought..." Marx contended that the engine of history was to be found in a materialist understanding of society - the productive process and the way humans labored to meet their needs. Marx and Engels first set out their materialist conception of history in The German Ideology , written in 1845. The book
6700-728: The 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Enlightenment thinkers responded to the worldly transformations by promoting individual liberties and attacking religious dogmas and the divine right of kings . A group of thinkers including Hobbes (1588–1679), Montesquieu (1689–1755), Voltaire (1694–1778), Smith (1723–1790), Turgot (1727–1781) and Condorcet (1743–1794) explored new forms of inquiry, including empirical studies of human nature, history, economics and society. Some philosophers, for example, Vico (1668–1744), Herder (1744–1803) and Hegel (1770–1831), sought to uncover organizing principles of human history in underlying themes, meanings, and directions. For many Enlightenment philosophers,
6834-640: The 1970s, loyalty to the leader was increasingly emphasized as an essential part of Juche , as expressed in the Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System . Juche has been variously described by critics as a quasi-religion , a nationalist or fascistic ideology, and a deviation from Marxism–Leninism. Juche comes from the Sino-Japanese word 主體 ( modern spelling : 主体 ), whose Japanese reading
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#17327721467456968-581: The Great Leader (Ulu Önder) of the Republic of Turkey Mammad Amin Rasulzade , the Great Leader (Ulu Öndər) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Muhammad Ali Jinnah , founder and Governor-General of Pakistan, known as the Great Leader ( Quaid-i-Azam ) of Pakistan Arts, entertainment, and media [ edit ] Great Leader, the primary villain in the Kamen Rider series The Great Leader ,
7102-540: The Juche Idea : "Independence is not in conflict with internationalism but is the basis of its strengthening". Kim Il Sung acknowledged that it was important for North Korea to learn from other socialist states, in particular the Soviet Union and China, but did not want to follow their examples dogmatically. He said the WPK must "resolutely repudiate the tendency to swallow things of others undigested or imitate them mechanically", attributing North Korea's early success to
7236-458: The Korean communists and nationalists of the 1920s for their "elitist posture", saying they were "divorced from the masses". The North Korean government issued a decree on 8 July 1997, the third anniversary of the death of Kim Il Sung , declaring the adoption of the Juche calendar . The Central People's Committee [ ja ] promulgated regulations regarding its use in August, and
7370-491: The Korean people's blood, soul, and national traits, echoing earlier Korean nationalists such as Sin Chaeho , Yi Kwangsu, and Choe Namson . Shin believes that the key difference between Marxism–Leninism and Juche is that the latter places ideology above materialism; the vocabulary of family lineage and nationalism is retained and given primacy over class struggle , while social distinction and hierarchy are supported instead of
7504-469: The Originality of Kimilsungism", Kim Jong Il said that Kimilsungism comprises the " Juche idea and a far-reaching revolutionary theory and leadership method evolved from this idea". He further added that "Kimilsungism is an original idea that cannot be explained within the frameworks of Marxism–Leninism. The Juche idea, which constitutes the quintessence of Kimilsungism, is an idea newly discovered in
7638-455: The Soviet experience in a mechanical manner". According to Kim, they failed to understand that the Soviet experience was based on specific historical and social circumstances and could not be used by other countries aside from the Soviet Union itself. He added that "if experience is considered absolute and accepted dogmatically it is impossible to build Socialism properly, as the times change and
7772-441: The WPK's independence in policymaking. Military self-reliance ( 자위 ; jawi ) is also crucial for a state to maintain its political independence. To accomplish military self-reliance, states must develop a domestic defence industry to avoid dependence on foreign arms suppliers. Kim Jong Il argued that it was acceptable for socialist states to receive military aid from their allies but that such aid would be effective only if
7906-607: The WPK's leader since its inception. Andrei Lankov , a Russian scholar of Korean studies, argues that the first reference to Juche as an ideology was on 14 April 1965, when Kim Il Sung gave a speech in Indonesia titled "On Socialist Construction in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the South Korean Revolution" ( 조선민주주의인민공화국에서의사회주의건설과남조선혁명에대하여 ). Lankov posits that the 1955 speech "used
8040-410: The abstract, or by entering into arbitrary or random relations chosen at will, but instead are determined by the development of the existing forces of production. The relations of production are determined by the level and character of these productive forces present at any given time in history. In all societies, human beings collectively work on nature but, especially in class societies, do not do
8174-652: The actions of "great historical men" can align with the "spirit of the age" to bring about a fundamental advance in freedom. The implication of Hegel's philosophy that every social order, no matter how powerful and secure, will eventually wither away was incendiary. These ideas were inspirational to Marx and the Young Hegelians who sought to develop a radical critique of the Prussian authorities and their failure to introduce constitutional change or reform social institutions. However, Hegel's contention that ideas or
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#17327721467458308-435: The bourgeoisie, in the same way that the bourgeoisie was the revolutionary class in relation to the nobility under feudalism. The proletariat, then, must seize power as the new revolutionary class in a dictatorship of the proletariat . Between capitalist and communist society there lies the period of the revolutionary transformation of the one into the other. Corresponding to this is also a political transition period in which
8442-631: The calendar entered public usage on 9 September, the Day of the Foundation of the Republic . Gregorian calendar dates are used for years before 1912 while years after 1912 (the year of Kim Il Sung's birth ) are called " Juche years". The Gregorian year 2024, for example, is " Juche 113" as 2024 − 1911 = 113. When used, " Juche years" are often accompanied by the Gregorian equivalent, i.e. " Juche 113, 2024" or " Juche 113 (2024)". The goal of Juche
8576-488: The center of everything, and the leader is the center of the masses". Juche , North Korea maintains, is a "man-centered ideology" in which "man is the master of everything and decides everything". In contrast to Marxism–Leninism, in which a people's decisions are conditioned by their relations to the means of production , Juche argues that people's decisions take consideration of, but are independent from, external factors. Just like Marxism–Leninism, Juche believes history
8710-404: The commemorations of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to Confucian ancestor worship . Ju Jun-hui similarly contends that Korean shamanism influenced Juche , comparing the ecstatic state experienced in a shamanic ritual ( gut ) to the enthusiasm and fervor North Koreans display for their supreme leader. Armstrong accordingly calls Juche a quasi-religion . The ideology teaches that the role of
8844-492: The concepts of property, money, and commodity production. To Marx, the higher-stage of communist society is a free association of producers which has successfully negated all remnants of capitalism, notably the concepts of states , nationality , sexism , families , alienation , social classes , money , property , commodities , the bourgeoisie , the proletariat , division of labor , cities and countryside , class struggle , religion , ideology , and markets . It
8978-417: The contrary, just as it emerges from capitalist society; which is thus in every respect, economically, morally, and intellectually, still stamped with the birthmarks of the old society from whose womb it emerges. Accordingly, the individual producer receives back from society—after the deductions have been made—exactly what he gives to it. What he has given to it is his individual quantum of labor. For example,
9112-438: The country's guiding principle. The parallel relationship structure between Kim Il Sung and his people and religious founders or leaders and their followers has led many scholars to consider Juche a religious movement as much as a political ideology. However, those familiar with cults posit that Juche bypasses the tenets of religion completely and instead meets the criteria of a totalitarian cult. Juche 's emphasis on
9246-487: The course of history which seeks the ultimate cause and the great moving power of all important historic events in the economic development of society, in the changes in the modes of production and exchange, in the consequent division of society into distinct classes, and in the struggles of these classes against one another." Although Marx never brought together a formal or comprehensive description of historical materialism in one published work, his key ideas are woven into
9380-400: The development of the bourgeoisie, to freedom of commerce, to the world market, to uniformity in the mode of production and in the conditions of life corresponding thereto. The supremacy of the proletariat will cause them to vanish still faster. United action, of the leading civilised countries at least, is one of the first conditions for the emancipation of the proletariat. In proportion as
9514-422: The difference between socialist patriotism , which he said he supported, and nationalism, which he said he opposed. Suh also criticized Kim Il Sung's initial conceptualization of Juche , saying that he had failed to explain how Marxism–Leninism had been applied to Korean conditions. American historian Derek R. Ford, by contrast, emphasizes the continuity between Marxism–Leninism and Juche , and credits Juche as
9648-430: The discrepancy between the principle of self-sufficiency and North Korea's dependence on foreign aid, especially during its economic crisis in the 1990s. The pursuit of economic autarky has been blamed for contributing to the crisis. On this view, attempts at self-sufficiency led to inefficiency and to the neglect of export opportunities in industries where there was a comparative advantage . The Korean People's Army
9782-449: The driving force in society or that the underlying cause of change was guided by the actions of leaders in government or religion. The " great man " and occasionally "great woman" view of historical change was popularized by the 19th-century Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) who wrote "the history of the world is nothing but the biography of great men". According to Marx, this conception of history amounted to nothing more than
9916-454: The driving force of historical progress, not people. Socialism of Our Style was presented as an organic sociopolitical theory, using the language of Marxism–Leninism, saying: The political and ideological might of the motive force of revolution is nothing but the power of single-hearted unity between the leader, the Party, and the masses. In our socialist society, the leader, the Party, and the masses throw in their lot with one another, forming
10050-460: The economic base, but its features also ultimately correspond to the character and development of that economic base, i.e. the way people organize society, its relations of production, and its mode of production. G.A. Cohen argues in Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence that a society's superstructure stabilizes or entrenches its economic structure, but that the economic base is primary and
10184-584: The establishment of a unified Arab state based on socialism and national self-reliance. South Korean political commentator Park Sang-seek argues that Syrian Ba'athism in particular has rhetorical similarities to Juche , but the latter has a stronger ideological basis. A number of scholars have compared facets of Juche to those of preexisting Korean religions . Jung Tae-il argues that certain elements of Christianity , Cheondoism , and Confucianism were appropriated by and incorporated into Juche . Korean cultural anthropologists Byung Ho Chung and Heonik Kwon liken
10318-406: The exploitation of one individual by another will also be put an end to, the exploitation of one nation by another will also be put an end to. In proportion as the antagonism between classes within the nation vanishes, the hostility of one nation to another will come to an end. Under capitalism, the bourgeoisie and proletariat become the two primary classes. Class struggle between these two classes
10452-485: The extent to which North Korean university students actually believe in Juche , Abt says it is "rather absurd" to call it "window-dressing" for foreigners. American historian Bruce Cumings and Professor of International Relations Christoph Hartmut Bluth similarly argue that Juche is not mere rhetoric, but rather an ideal of self-reliance that North Korea has attempted to implement. Juche has been compared to Ba'athism , an Arab nationalist ideology that advocates
10586-589: The first class-stratified society formed of citizens and slaves . Surplus from agriculture was distributed to the citizens, who exploited the slaves that worked the fields. The feudal mode of production emerged from slave society (e.g. in Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire), coinciding with the further advance of productive forces. Feudal society's class relations were marked by an entrenched nobility and serfdom . For Marx, what defined feudalism
10720-666: The first documented reference to Juche as an ideology dates to 1955, when Kim Il Sung delivered a speech titled " On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work ". The speech promoted a political purge similar to the Yan'an Rectification Movement in China. It became known as the " Juche speech" and is considered one of Kim Il Sung's most important works. Western scholars generally agree that Hwang Jang-yop , Kim Il Sung's top adviser on philosophy,
10854-608: The forces of production tend to develop and expand as new skills, knowledge and technology (for example wooden scratch plows then heavier iron plows) are put to use to meet human needs. From one generation to the next, technical skills, evolving traditions of practice and mechanical innovations are reproduced and disseminated. Marx extended this premise by asserting the importance of the fact that, in order to carry out production and exchange, people have to enter into very definite social relations, or more specifically, "relations of production". However, production does not get carried out in
10988-467: The guiding principle that allowed North Korea to survive the collapse of the Eastern Bloc . American historian Charles K. Armstrong argues that North Korea may appear "Stalinist in form" but is "nationalist in content". Shin Gi-wook similarly argues that "there is no trace of Marxism–Leninism or the Stalinist notion of nationhood" in North Korea, and its government instead stresses the importance of
11122-530: The highest military body, was designated the supreme body of the state by a 1998 revision of the North Korean Constitution . The Songun era is considered to have begun with this revision. In late 2021, Kim Jong Un declared that the "military-first" politics of Songun would be replaced by "people-first politics" ( 인민대중제일주의 ) guided by himself. Suryong ( 수령형상창조 ; Suryŏng hyŏngsang ch'angjo ; lit. creation of
11256-406: The history of mankind". Kim Jong Il went further, stating that Marxism–Leninism had become obsolete and must be replaced by Kimilsungism: The revolutionary theory of Kimilsungism is a revolutionary theory which has provided solutions to problems arising in the revolutionary practice in a new age different from the era that gave rise to Marxism–Leninism. On the basis of Juche idea, the leader gave
11390-513: The idea that modes of production do not exist in isolation but rather are materialized from the previous existence is a core idea in historical materialism. There is considerable debate among communists regarding the nature of this society. Some such as Joseph Stalin , Fidel Castro , and other Marxist-Leninists believe that the lower-stage of communism constitutes its own mode of production, which they call socialist rather than communist. Marxist-Leninists believe that this society may still maintain
11524-482: The ideas of Kim Il Sung, while the Ten Principles serve as a guide for North Korean political and social life. Kim Jong Il argued that his father's ideas had evolved and they therefore deserved their own distinct name. North Korean state media had previously described Kim Il Sung's ideas as "contemporary Marxism–Leninism "; by calling them "Kimilsungism", Kim Jong Il sought to elevate the ideas of his father to
11658-406: The importance of his father's ideas. Juche incorporates the historical materialist ideas of Marxism–Leninism but also strongly emphasizes the individual , the nation state , and national sovereignty . Juche posits that a country will prosper once it has become self-reliant by achieving political, economic, and military independence. As Kim Jong Il emerged as Kim Il Sung's likely successor in
11792-419: The lead figure) is a revolutionary theory concerning the relationship between leadership and society. Unlike Marxism–Leninism, which considers developments in the material conditions of production and exchange as the driving force of historical progress (known as historical materialism ), Juche considers human beings in general the driving force in history. It is summarized as "the popular masses are placed in
11926-405: The manufacturing middle class; division of labour between the different corporate guilds vanished in the face of division of labour in each single workshop. With the rise of the bourgeoisie came the concepts of nation-states and nationalism . Marx argued that capitalism completely separated the economic and political forces. Marx took the state to be a sign of this separation—it existed to manage
12060-498: The masses in the ways of Juche thinking. Juche is inexorably linked with Kim Il Sung and "represents the guiding idea of the Korean revolution". Although Juche is rooted in Marxism–Leninism, it is not merely a creative application of the ideas of Marx and Lenin to Korean conditions. Rather, it is a "new phase of revolutionary theory" and represents "a new era in the development of human history". Kim Jong Il also criticized
12194-432: The masses. The popular masses are the driving force of history, but they require the guidance of the party leadership. Kimilsungism ( 김일성주의 ) and the Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System were formally introduced by Kim Jong Il in 1974. Kim Jong Il reportedly did so to strengthen his position within the WPK, taking advantage of his father's political supremacy. Kimilsungism refers to
12328-432: The massive conflicts of interest which arose between the proletariat and bourgeoisie in capitalist society. Marx observed that nations arose at the time of the appearance of capitalism on the basis of community of economic life, territory, language, certain features of psychology, and traditions of everyday life and culture. In The Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels explained that the coming into existence of nation-states
12462-400: The modes of production by later authors. In each of these stages of production, people interact with nature and production in different ways. Any surplus from that production was distributed differently. Marx propounded that humanity first began living in primitive communist societies, then came the ancient societies such as Rome and Greece which were based on a ruling class of citizens and
12596-424: The more the productive forces develop and expand to bind people together in production and exchange. This understanding counters the notion that human history is simply a series of accidents, either without any underlying cause or caused by supernatural beings or forces exerting their will on society. Historical materialism posits that history is made as a result of struggle between different social classes rooted in
12730-405: The necessity of labor to ensure physical survival. In The German Ideology , Marx wrote that the first historical act, was the production of means to satisfy material needs and that labor is a "fundamental condition of all history, which today, as thousands of years ago, must daily and hourly be fulfilled merely in order to sustain human life". Human labor forms the materialist basis for society and
12864-414: The new capitalist ones; feudalism was then eschewed as capitalism emerged. The bourgeoisie's influence expanded until commodity production became fully generalized: The feudal system of industry, in which industrial production was monopolised by closed guilds, now no longer sufficed for the growing wants of the new markets. The manufacturing system took its place. The guild-masters were pushed on one side by
12998-514: The official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea . North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il Sung , the country's founder and first leader. Juche was originally regarded as a variant of Marxism–Leninism until Kim Jong Il , Kim Il Sung's son and successor, declared it a distinct ideology in the 1970s. Kim Jong Il further developed Juche in the 1980s and 1990s by making ideological breaks from Marxism–Leninism and increasing
13132-505: The opening speech says: Regardless of the opposition forces, the determination of the people and their strength and conviction are not measured by territorial dimensions, possession of advanced technology, still less, opulence or riches. For those who wish to forget the lesson of history so easily and so quickly, Algeria , Vietnam , Guinea-Bissau , Mozambique , Angola —and, closer to us, Zimbabwe , Namibia , and Azania —are excellent examples which make them deeply reflect on. What we want
13266-408: The oppressors. The other was expressed in the expansion of links among nations, the breaking down of barriers between them, the establishment of a unified economy and of a world market ( globalization ); the first is a characteristic of lower-stage capitalism and the second a more advanced form, furthering the unity of the international proletariat . Alongside this development was the forced removal of
13400-564: The overall primacy of the productive forces can be understood in terms of two key theses: (a) The productive forces tend to develop throughout history (the Development Thesis). (b) The nature of the production relations of a society is explained by the level of development of its productive forces (the Primacy Thesis proper). In saying that productive forces have a universal tendency to develop, Cohen's reading of Marx
13534-487: The political and sacred role of the leader and the ensuing worship by the popular masses has been critiqued by various Western Marxists, who argue that the North Korean proletariat has been stripped of its honor, and call the cult of personality non-Marxist and undemocratic. The religious behavior of Juche can also be seen in the perspectives of the North Korean people through refugee interviews from former participants in North Korea's ritual occasions. One pertinent example
13668-481: The power of ideas became the mainspring for understanding historical change and the rise and fall of civilizations. History was the gradual advance of the "spirit of liberty" or the growth of nationalism or democracy , rationality and law . This view of history remains popular to this day. Beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries, materialism came to prominence in Western philosophy , especially in opposition to
13802-442: The principle of giving priority to the military and resolving the problems that may occur in the course of revolution and construction as well as establishing the military as the main body of the revolution in the course of achieving the total tasks of socialism". While the article often referred to "our Party", this was not a reference to the WPK but rather to the personal leadership of Kim Jong Il. The National Defence Commission ,
13936-441: The principles of Marxist–Leninist materialistic conception of history dogmatically, failing to advance revolution continually after the establishment of the socialist system. North Korea would not encounter such difficulties because of the conceiving of Juche . In his words, North Korea was "a backward, colonial semifeudal society" when the communists took over, but since the North Korean communists did not accept Marxism , which
14070-453: The process of producing their subsistence : the forces of production and relations of production . The forces of production are everything that humans use to make the things that society needs. They include human labor and the raw materials, land, tools, instruments and knowledge required for production. The flint sharpened spears and harpoons developed by early humans in the late Paleolithic period are all forces of production. Over time,
14204-399: The republic will implement with all consistency the line of independence, self-sufficiency, and self-defence to consolidate the political independence of the country, build up more solidly the foundations of an independent national economy capable of insuring the complete unification, independence, and prosperity of our nation and increasing the country's defence capabilities, so as to safeguard
14338-537: The revolutionary character of our Party and advance the revolution and construction in line with the ideas and intentions of the President [Kim Il Sung] and the General [Kim Jong Il]. "Socialism of Our Style" ( 우리식사회주의 ), also referred to as "Korean-style socialism" and "our-style socialism" within North Korea, is an ideological concept Kim Jong Il introduced on 27 December 1990 in the speech "Socialism of Our Country
14472-513: The revolutionary policies ideas of the President [Kim Il Sung] and Kim Jong Il as Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism and recognized it as the guiding of the nation". Kim Jong Un , the son of Kim Jong Il who succeeded him as leader of the WPK, said: Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism is an integral system of the idea, theory and method of Juche and a great revolutionary ideology representative of the Juche era. Guided by Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, we should conduct Party building and Party activities, so as to sustain
14606-421: The rise of class societies and the way humans labor together to make their livelihoods. Karl Marx stated that technological development can change the modes of production over time. This change in the mode of production inevitably encourages changes to a society's economic system . Marx's lifetime collaborator, Friedrich Engels , coined the term "historical materialism" and described it as "that view of
14740-412: The same amount of labor cost. The same amount of labor which he has given to society in one form, he receives back in another. This lower-stage of communist society is, according to Marx, analogous to the lower-stage of capitalist society, i.e. the transition from feudalism to capitalism, in that both societies are "stamped with the birthmarks of the old society from whose womb it emerges." The emphasis on
14874-443: The same level of prestige as Stalinism and Maoism . Not long after the introduction of "Kimilsungism" into the North Korean lexicon , Kim Jong Il began calling for a "Kimilsungist transformation" of North Korean society. Political analyst Lim Jae-cheon argues that there is no discernible difference between Kimilsungism and Juche , and that the two terms are interchangeable. However, in his 1976 speech "On Correctly Understanding
15008-458: The same work. In such societies, there is a division of labor in which people not only carry out different kinds of labor but occupy different social positions on the basis of those differences. The most important such division is that between manual and intellectual labor whereby one class produces a given society's wealth while another is able to monopolize control of the means of production . In this way, both govern that society and live off of
15142-460: The security of the fatherland reliably by our own force, by splendidly embodying our party's idea of Juche in all fields. Political independence ( 자주 ; jaju ) is a core principle of Juche . Juche stresses equality and mutual respect among nations, Juche's emphasis on self-reliance and national sovereignty has resonated beyond North Korea, influencing independence movements in countries such as Zimbabwe and Angola , where leaders saw it as
15276-440: The social working day consists of the sum of the individual hours of work; the individual labor time of the individual producer is the part of the social working day contributed by him, his share in it. He receives a certificate from society that he has furnished such-and-such an amount of labor (after deducting his labor for the common funds); and with this certificate, he draws from the social stock of means of consumption as much as
15410-421: The specific situation of each country is different from another". Kim Jong Il went on to criticize "dogmatic application" of Marxism–Leninism, stating: Marxism–Leninism presented a series of opinions on building of Socialism and Communism, but it confined itself to presupposition and hypothesis owing to the limitations of the conditions of their ages and practical experiences ... But many countries applied
15544-409: The state can be nothing but the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat . Marx also describes a communist society developed alongside the proletarian dictatorship: Within the co-operative society based on common ownership of the means of production, the producers do not exchange their products; just as little does the labor employed on the products appear here as the value of these products, as
15678-485: The state was militarily strong in its own right. North Korea maintained close relations with the Soviet Union and China during the Cold War, having emerged from Soviet occupation and a war it fought alongside Chinese communists. However, North Korea also opposed what it viewed as Soviet and Chinese attempts to interfere in its postwar affairs. For example, a failed challenge to Kim Il Sung's leadership in 1956 led to
15812-630: The study of history lies in the ability of history to explain the present. John Bellamy Foster asserts that historical materialism is important in explaining history from a scientific perspective, by following the scientific method , as opposed to belief-system theories like creationism and intelligent design , which do not base their beliefs on verifiable facts and hypotheses . The main modes of production that Marx identified include primitive communism , slave society , feudalism , capitalism and communism . Mercantilism , mixed economy ( state-capitalism ) and socialism are sometimes included in
15946-416: The superstructure secondary. That said, it is precisely because the superstructure strongly affects the base that the base selects that superstructure. As Charles Taylor wrote: "These two directions of influence are so far from being rivals that they are actually complementary. The functional explanation requires that the secondary factor tend to have a causal effect on the primary, for this dispositional fact
16080-459: The underlying economic base. According to G. A. Cohen , author of Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence , the level of development of society's productive forces (i.e., society's technological powers, including tools, machinery, raw materials, and labor power) determines society's economic structure, in the sense that it selects a structure of economic relations that tends best to facilitate further technological growth. In historical explanation,
16214-485: The wealth generated by the laboring classes. Marx identified society's relations of production (arising on the basis of given productive forces) as the economic base of society. He also explained that on the foundation of the economic base, there arise certain political institutions, laws, customs, culture, etc., and ideas, ways of thinking, morality, etc. These constitute the political/ideological " superstructure " of society. This superstructure not only has its origin in
16348-505: The whole of bourgeois society, endanger the existence of bourgeois property. The bourgeoisie, as Marx stated in The Communist Manifesto , has "forged the weapons that bring death to itself; it has also called into existence the men who are to wield those weapons—the modern working class—the proletarians." Historical materialists henceforth believe that the modern proletariat are the new revolutionary class in relation to
16482-441: The word Juche even before the word was attributed to Kim Il Sung in its supposedly novel meaning in 1955. In contemporary political discourse on North Korea, Juche has a connotation of "self-reliance", "autonomy", and "independence". It is often defined in opposition to the Korean concept of Sadae , or reliance on the great powers. South Koreans use the word without reference to the North Korean ideology. The ideology
16616-414: The word in a different meaning" and that Juche was adopted as the "basic ideological principle of North Korean politics" only after the 1965 speech. On the Juche Idea , the principal work on Juche , was published under Kim Jong Il 's name in 1982. In North Korea it serves as "the authoritative and comprehensive explanation of Juche ". According to the treatise, the WPK is responsible for educating
16750-512: Was based on European experiences with capitalism , or Leninism , which was based on Russia's experience, they conceived of Juche . He believed that the situation in North Korea was more complex because of the American presence in nearby South Korea. Thanks to Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il argued, the revolution had "put forward original lines and policies suited to our people's aspirations and the specific situation of our country". "The Juche idea
16884-613: Was first mentioned on 7 April 1997 in Rodong Sinmun under the headline "There Is a Victory for Socialism in the Guns and Bombs of the People's Army" ( 인민군대의 총창우에 사회주의의 승리가 있다 ). Its description in the article echoed the military-centered thinking of the time: "[ Songun is] the revolutionary philosophy to safeguard our own style of socialism under any circumstances". The concept was credited to Kim Jong Il, who posited that Songun
17018-475: Was now prevalent. With the emergence of capitalism, productive forces were now able to flourish, causing the Industrial Revolution in Europe. Despite this, however, the productive forces eventually reach a point where they can no longer expand, causing the same collapse that occurred at the end of feudalism: Modern bourgeois society, with its relations of production, of exchange and of property,
17152-415: Was produced was quickly consumed and this was because there existed no division of labour, hence people were forced to work together. The few things that existed for any length of time - the means of production ( tools and land), housing - were held communally. In Engels' view, in association with matrilocal residence and matrilineal descent, reproductive labour was shared. There would have also been
17286-458: Was responsible for the conceptualization and early development of Juche . Hwang rediscovered the Juche speech sometime in the late 1950s, when Kim Il Sung, having established a cult of personality , sought to develop his own version of Marxism–Leninism and solidify his position in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Hwang expanded upon the meaning of Juche and rewrote Korean communist history to make it appear as though Kim Il Sung had been
17420-435: Was the first to develop the theory that economic forces were the driving factors in history. Marx came to his commitment to a materialist analysis of society and political economy around 1844 and completed his works The Holy Family in 1845, The German Ideology or Leipzig Council in 1846, and The Poverty of Philosophy in 1847 along with Friedrich Engels. Marx rejected the enlightenment view that ideas alone were
17554-403: Was the next stage of development of Juche . A joint editorial entitled "Our Party's Military-First Politics Will Inevitably Achieve Victory and Will Never Be Defeated" ( 우리 당의 선군정치는 필승불패이다 ) was published by Kulloja and Rodong Sinmun (the WPK's theoretical magazine and newspaper, respectively) on 16 June 1999. In it, it was stated that Songun meant "the leadership method under
17688-401: Was the power of the ruling class (the aristocracy ) in their control of arable land, leading to a class society based upon the exploitation of the peasants who farm these lands, typically under serfdom and principally by means of labour, produce and money rents. Simple commodity production existed in the form of artisans and merchants. This merchant class would grow in size and eventually form
17822-439: Was the result of class struggle, specifically of the capitalist class's attempts to overthrow the institutions of the former ruling class. Prior to capitalism, nations were not the primary political form. Vladimir Lenin shared a similar view on nation-states. There were two opposite tendencies in the development of nations under capitalism. One of them was expressed in the activation of national life and national movements against
17956-434: Was the working through of a process where humans become ever more conscious of the rational principles that govern social development. Hegel's dialectical method presents the world as a complex totality where all aspects of society (familial, economic, scientific, governmental, etc.) are interconnected, mutually influential, and unable to be considered in isolation. According to Hegel, at any particular point in time, society
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