Giving Priority to Ideological Work is Essential for Accomplishing Socialism

by Kim Jong Il

WORKERS OF THE WHOLE WORLD, UNITE!

Printed in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

39 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 1995

About the author

The Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 1994 to 2011.

Reviews

[Σταμάτης Καρασαββίδης · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Socialist ideology is a weapon for class emancipation as well as national liberation; it is genuine patriotism."

"Socialist ideology is the sum total of the development of human ideas. It incorporates all progressive ideas that accord with the popular masses’ desire for independence. It is the most extensive and advanced ideology, constituting the acme of man’s ideological progress. The education of the masses in socialist ideology is about realizing the desire and aspiration for independence of the popular masses, who want to lead wholesome and rich ideological and cultural lives, free from the shackles of all sorts of outmoded ideas. The education of people in socialist ideology by a working-class party is for the people themselves and it is an example of the great love and consideration the party shows people."

...

"Without ideological work, it would be impossible for socialism to emerge, exist and develop. Capitalism, an exploiting system which replaced feudal subordination with subordination by capital, grew up within the framework of feudal society; but socialism, a new system, radically different from all the exploiting systems, cannot grow up within the framework of capitalist society. Socialist ideology emerges as a reflection of the class demand of the exploited working masses who fight against domination by capital. The socialist system is born of the struggle of the popular masses who are awakened to socialist ideology. It is consolidated and developed under the guidance of socialist ideology. "

...

"In the past, quite a few parties took a mechanical approach to the historical materialist proposition that the material and economic conditions in society determine social consciousness, and that social consciousness changes with changes in material and economic conditions. They believed that when people’s material and cultural standards became high with the establishment of the socialist system and the promotion of socialist construction, their ideological consciousness would be transformed accordingly. Therefore, they did not pay great attention to ideological work. Believing that people’s ideological consciousness will spontaneously change along socialist lines after the socialist transformation of the material and economic conditions in society, is a wrong concept. It is contrary to the essence and characteristics of socialist ideology and the socialist transformation of ideology. By nature, a man’s consciousness reflects objective reality, but how he absorbs this depends on the man himself, on his preparedness. He sees, hears, feels and absorbs as much as he can understand. What ideology he acquires and how this ideology changes and develops depend on his preparedness, his activities and the ideological influence he receives. Even a man from the propertied class can become a revolutionary when he is awakened ideologically and put under a constant revolutionary influence; and not even a working-class man necessarily acquires a revolutionary ideology. It is clear that, where outmoded ideas linger in the people’s minds in socialist society and where reactionary ideas from outside continually infiltrate and have an influence, the transformation of all members of society through education in the new, socialist ideology cannot go ahead smoothly of its own accord, even though the socialist system has been established and the material and economic conditions have been created."

4.5/5