An article to the 15th anniversary of the publication of General Secretary Kim Jong Il's work "The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party." 

--- Dermot Hudson, Chairman of the Juche Idea Study Group of England and the Association for the Study of Songun Politics in the UK, Editor-in-Chief of the Red Banner of Songun theoretical e-journal

  This year on January was the 15th anniversary of the publication of General Secretary Kim Jong Il's work "The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party."

  This work gives a scientific exposition of the main cause of the collapse of socialism in some countries and indicates a clear road to the victory of socialism, the 15 years following the publication of the work were days when the correctness of Kim Jong Il's leadership in guiding the cause of socialism to victory under the banner of Juche has been strikingly demonstrated.
                             

  This work is of very great significance as it was published less than a month after the USSR was dissolved. At that time the international communist movement and revolutionary movement was in a state of despair and retreat due to the frustration of socialism in a number of countries. Revolutionaries throughout the world were racking their brains for an answer to what had happened.  At this juncture comrade Kim Jong Il published the historic work answered the questions and lighted the road ahead for progressives and revolutionaries.

  Our study group, the Juche Idea Study Group of England, has several times held seminars on this work and it is still highly relevant now as it was 15 years ago. I can also remember attending a seminar on this work at the Korean Juche Academy in Pyongyang in May 1992.

  Most vivid in my mind and impressed on my consciousness indelibly was the lesson "Single concessions and a gradual retreat from socialist principles have resulted in ten and hundred-fold concessions and a full retreat until, finally, the grave consequence of the ruin of the working-class parties themselves were incurred."

  This so eloquently explained one of the main reasons for the collapse or frustration of socialism in some countries. The Soviet Union which had been looked up to by many started in the late 1950s making one concession after another, one concession became ten and ten became a  hundred which culminated in Gorbachov-the 'Judas of the 20th' and 'arch traitor' destroying the USSR.

  Furthermore the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il explained that another reason that socialism was frustrated was that the principle of independence was not adhered to. Basically, when one country adopted reformism and revisionism (i.e. the USSR) other socialist countries copied it blindly with disastrous consequences. Thus to defend and advance socialism one must fully adhere to independence, the line of Juche.

  Comrade Kim Jong Il defined the general line of the WPK; the Juche orientated revolutionary line laid down by the great leader President Kim Il Sung, as "the three revolutions plus the peoples government means communism. To carry out the ideological, technical and cultural revolutions thoroughly while strengthening the people’s government and steadily enhancing
its function"

  This simple paragraph profoundly epitomises the line of the WPK in building socialism. It explains that the three revolutions which aim at wiping out the legacy of exploiter society must be carried out to the full, that the revolution must not be left half finished that it must be carried out to the full. The WPK and DPRK maintain the line of continuous revolution which today is carried out in a higher form under Songun. The work also calls for strengthening the people’s government and enhancing its function. This is a telling blow to those revisionists and renegades, and also to social democrats
and Trotskyites, who blather about 'liberalization' 'democracy’,’ civic society' and 'decentralization'.

  Comrade Kim Jong Il brilliantly concluded that "Historical experience shows that when people steadily strengthen the driving force of the revolution, with a strong conviction in socialism and a correct guideline, hold fast to socialist principles in all circumstances and strengthen comradely unity and cooperation on the basis of independence, the socialist cause will advance along the road of victory; otherwise it will suffer setbacks and frustration. This is a serious lesson mankind has learned on its road to socialism."

    It is this lesson that we should always bear in mind as it shows the way to the victory of socialism.

  The immortal exploits performed by the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il in setting an example for the era in building socialism lie also in that he unfolded a new history of the reinforcement of the driving force of the revolution with the revolutionary army as its main force. The most revolutionary, militant and mighty group in our society is the People's Army and its might will be remarkably augmented when unity in ideology and unity in fighting morale between the army and the people are achieved with the army as the main force of the revolution. This is the truth found by Kim Jong Il in the rugged path of revolution.

  The undying feats performed by him in creating the paragon of socialist construction for the era lies also in that he defended with honor the sovereignty and dignity of the country by resolutely upholding the revolutionary principle and class stand in the raging storm of the revolution.

  Under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il who has firmly maintained the revolutionary principle and the class stand with faith and will of sure victory, the DPRK has come display its dignity as a military power which no enemy dare provoke and a powerful independent state carrying on the revolution and construction its own way in conformity with the demand and interests of the people.