The Juche Idea (Series 7)

LAW OF THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Series 7 deals with the law of social development clarified by the Juche idea.

The world does not move out of order but changes and develops according to certain laws. Society has the law governing its change and development.

The great Juche idea scientifically clarified the law peculiar to the social development on the basis of a new elucidation of the subject of the social movement and its characteristics.

Now we study it one by one.

1. Development of Society by Action and Role of the Motive Force

One of peculiar laws in the social development is that society changes and develops by the action and role of the motive force.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"Contrary to the movement of nature, the socio-historical movement has a subject. And the socio-historical movement is inconceivable without the function and role of its subject."

It is one of the important problems in elucidating laws of the social development to clarify what is a decisive factor in developing society. Only when we have a correct understanding of the decisive factor of the social development, can we direct efforts to its strengthening and press ahead with the social development.

There operate both subjective and objective factors in the social movement.

The subjective factor is the activities made by the popular masses, the motive force of the social movement and the objective factor is socio-economic and material and technical conditions.

Since the social movement has subjective and objective factors, there arises the problem of which factor is more important and decisive. The Juche idea gives a correct answer to this problem on the basis of a new elucidation on the subject of the social movement.

The social movement is caused and developed by the volitional action and role of the driving force.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"In nature motion takes place spontaneously through the interaction of material elements which exist objectively, whereas the social movement is caused and developed by the volitional action and role of the driving force."

The social movement is the movement of the popular masses, its driving force.

The social movement is inconceivable without the volitional action and role of the popular masses.

The social movement is caused by the volitional action and role of the popular masses.

The popular masses always demand to lead a free and happy life as masters of society. In other words, they demand to live and develop independently and creatively free from all sorts of natural and social subjugation. But nature and society never easily give the popular masses the chance to realize their independent demand.

Nature is a source of abundant material wealth, but nature itself never provides the people with food and clothing.

Let us take example of today's civilization　instead of the old days when people had been savage. In the mid of the 1980s, the land became desert and the animals died gregarious due to successive droughts in the middle and south region of Africa. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people suffered from starvation and poverty.

The countries and the people in this region rose up to the struggle to overcome natural climates. As a result, social campaign was made in a broad way to transform nature including irrigation project.

The popular masses have conducted labour activities, the social movement to transform nature in order to lead an independent life free from natural fetters, though there is a difference in the level of their development.

This is clear in the social movement to transform society.

All people demand to live independently as equal members of society.

There is nobody who wants to be subjugated to others and to live as slaves. However, the exploiter society imposes exploitation, oppression and inequality upon people. Slave-hold society where slave owners exploited and humiliated slaves and the contemporary developed capitalist countries where the rich become ever richer and the poor become ever poorer are clear expression of it. Nevertheless, the reactionary exploiting class has insisted historically on natural character and immortality of the exploiter society in order to continue their society which provides them with all kinds of privilege and comfort. However, the people gradually understood the contradiction and corruption of the exploiter society, did not believe its immortality and conducted and are now conducting dynamic struggle against the exploiting system.　Thanks to their active struggle, the social movement, the revolutionary movement to transform the old society continues.

The social movement is not only caused but also advanced by the volitional action and role of the popular masses.

The popular masses should cause the social movement and advance it dynamically. Only then, can they sweep away the old and realize their demand for independence. The process of developing the social movement is the process of overcoming difficulties and trials. In the social movement to transform nature, the people should tame severe changes of nature, and in the social movement to transform society, they should frustrate frantic resistance of the old forces. That is why, the　people describe the development of the social movement as a boat sailing through storms.

The popular masses have creative ability and strong will to develop the social movement successfully.

The popular masses' creativity is unlimited. The popular masses are the creator and transformer of everything. They know everything and do everything. If there is an omnipotent being, it is not the "Heaven" but the popular masses.

The popular masses have revolutionary will.

The popular masses have vital interest in the revolutionary movement and devote themselves to it. Frantic as their moves are, the reactionaries cannot change the revolutionary will of the popular masses to propel the revolutionary movement.

Since they have the revolutionary will and inexhaustible creative ability, the popular masses propel the social movement to victory, while overcoming difficulties and trials. This is proved by all monumental edifices of the world which have been erected from the ancient time up to now and by the victory of the socialist revolution that put an end to the exploitation of man by man which had been existed for thousands of years.

Of course, there may be failures and twists in the process of developing the social movement. For example, failures of Cychillie slave rebellion in the ancient time, Sipai peasant uprising of India in the middle age, Lyon workers' uprising of France in modern time and so on.

In spite of failures, the popular masses dynamically conduct and develop the social movement to realize their demand for independence.

Without active struggle of the popular masses, the development of the social movement onto a higher plane is inconceivable.

The demand for independence and the creative ability of the popular masses develop continuously.

Revolutionary practice is a good school for the popular masses. The popular masses develop the demand for independence and their creative ability continuously through the struggle to transform nature and society.

The popular masses set higher goal and propel more dynamically the social movement corresponding to the development of their demand for independence and creative ability. As a result, innovations are made in transforming nature and society and society develops rapidly.

Practice is more eloquent than words. The working class developed the past revolutionary movement of slaves, serfs and peasants into a new socialist movement, thus putting an end to exploitation and oppression of man by man and bringing about a fundamental change in social development. The working class also created and manufactured new machines which slaves, serfs and peasants in the past could not have done and they developed productivity on a higher plane.

That the social movement is caused and developed by the volitional action and role of the popular masses, its driving force, does not mean that we may neglect the action of objective factor in the social movement.

Objective factor also acts in the social movement. This is because the social movement is conducted under certain objective phenomena and conditions. Phenomena and conditions can either be favourable or unfavourable for the social movement according to whether natural and geological phenomena are good or bad, whether material and technical means of society are developed or backward and whether the social system is progressive or reactionary.

If we neglect the action of objective factor in the social movement, we can commit ourselves subjectivism which would lead to failure in the social movement. On the contrary, if we put too much emphasize on the action of subjective factor, we can commit ourselves defeatism and passivism which would result in hindrance or half doing in the social movement. That is why, it is very important to have a correct understanding of objective factor in conducting the social movement.

Objective factor is of secondary importance in the social movement. The key to victory in the social movement is dependent not upon whether objective factor is favourable or unfavourable but upon how the popular masses, its driving force are prepared. If the popular masses struggle with high demand for independence and creative ability, they can make a good use of the given objective conditions and achieve a great victory in the social movement, changing unfavourable objective conditions into favourable ones and difficulties into blessing.

Victorious advance of socialism made by the DPR of Korea in recent years is one of the examples which proves the validity of this truth. Due to collapse of socialism in some countries, frantic attack of allied forces of imperialism and successive natural calamities, the Korean revolution was confronted with unprecedented difficulties and trials. Public opinion of the world wondered about the destiny of socialism in Korea. However, the Korean people were rallied single-heartedly around the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il and struggled dynamically to safeguard socialism by overcoming all kinds of difficulties and trials and are now building a powerful nation of Juche.

This shows that the decisive factor in the social movement, in social development is subjective factor and that it is the law that social development is made by the volitional action and role of the driving force.

Because the social movement is conducted by the volitional action and role of the driving force, it is necessary to have a proper understanding on purposefulness and spontaneity in the social movement.

Why purposefulness and spontaneity act in the social movement?

That the social movement is conducted by the volitional action and role of the driving force does not mean that there can never be spontaneity in the social movement. Spontaneity acts in the social movement along with purposefulness.

Spontaneity in the social movement is the tendency in the social movement which is inclined to be conducted blindly in disregard of the will of the popular masses as they are failed to cognize properly the law of society.

Society has its own law. If a certain socio-economic condition is created, a social law corresponding to it operates inevitably and therefore it assumes objective character as natural law does. The social law acts purposefully when it is cognized and used by people, but it acts spontaneously, otherwise.

Let us take an example to explain it.

It is the law of historical development that mankind advances to socialism. However, the working class in its early period did not know it (they could not know it), with the result that they could not avoid spontaneity and suffered repeated setback, although they fought bravely against exploitation and oppression of capital. In slave-owning and feudal society before capitalist society, the people's struggle to free from exploitation and oppression was more spontaneous.

The popular masses conducted the social movement volitionally and consciously in order to realize their independence, but their movement could not escape from the action of spontaneity for a long time. It came across with failures or turns and twists and, as a result, the development of society and the progress of history were seriously hindered.

The popular masses did not overcome spontaneity in the social movement because their independence, creativity and consciousness were not so high nor the social system which ensures a full display of these qualities was established. Then, under what condition we can overcome the action of spontaneity in the social movement.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"With the growth in man's independence, creativity and consciousness and with the establishment of the social system which ensures a full display of these qualities, man will work better in keeping with the objective laws and the range of spontaneity will narrow."

If we are to strengthen purposefulness and overcome spontaneity in the social movement we should, first of all, develop independence, creativity and consciousness of the popular masses, the driving force of the social movement. There is a saying that we can see through only with knowledge. When they have sound ideology and deep knowledge free from all sorts of prejudice and ignorance, can the popular masses know the world and seek for the way to hew out their destiny. Only then can the popular masses narrow the range of spontaneity in the social movement and expand and strengthen purposefulness by conducting the revolutionary struggle with correct target and means.

If we are to strengthen purposefulness and overcome spontaneity in the social movement, we should establish an advanced social system which ensures a full display of the masses' independence, creativity and consciousness.

Since all people live in a certain social system, their activities are influenced by the social system. The degree of purposefulness and spontaneity in the activities of the popular masses differs according to under what kind of social system they live.

In the exploiter society, the popular masses could not display their independence, creativity and consciousness properly due to exploitation and oppression of the ruling class. The ruling class obstruct in every possible way the popular masses not to cognize the social law that the exploiter society is sure to fail because of it own contradictions and suppress cruelly their revolutionary advance. Therefore, in the exploiting system the popular masses can not conduct the social movement properly in conformity with their demand for independence and interest nor overcome spontaneity in the social movement.

However, the advanced socialist system where the popular masses are masters of everything in the society displays their independence, creativity and consciousness to the full. The socialist system gives a deep knowledge on the law of the social development through various forms of education and organizes and guides their activities in conformity with its demand. Therefore, in the socialist system the range of purposefulness is strengthened and that of spontaneity narrowed in the social movement conducted by the popular masses.

When independence, creativity and consciousness of the popular masses are at a very high level and the advanced socialist system was consummated, the social movement which is made by their volitional action and role of the popular masses will overcome spontaneity and be consistent with purposefulness. Therefore, the social development will be pushed ahead and the building of an ideal society accelerated. It means a comprehensive implementation of the law peculiar to the social movement which is changed and developed by the volitional action and role of the popular masses.

The Juche idea elucidated the law peculiar to the social development that society develops by the volitional action and role of the driving force, thus providing the popular masses with the guideline to press ahead with the social development by strengthening the driving force and enhancing its role.

2. Development of Society according to the Development of

Independent Ideological Consciousness and Creative

Ability of the Popular Masses

Another law peculiar to the social development is that society is developed according to the development of independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the popular masses.

The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung said.

"It is a law-governed process of social development that their desire for independence and their creative ability increase steadily and that, in accordance with their increase, society is transformed and changed."

It is one of the important problems arising in explaining the truth of the social development to clarify correctly the law-governed process of the social development. Only then, can we make the social development in a proper direction. That society is developed according to the development of independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the popular masses is the explanation of it.

The process of social progress is the process of man's development.

The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung said.

"The process of social progress is, in essence, the process of man's development and the level of social progress is, in the long run, determined by the level of man's development."

First of all, it is important to understand what it means that man develops.

That man develops means that his independent ideological consciousness and creative ability are enhanced. It is because man's social position and role are conditioned by his independent ideological consciousness and creative ability.

Then, why the process of man’s development becomes the process of social progress?

Firstly, because man is the master of society and the creator of everything in society. Society consists of many components, out of which man is the master of society and transforms society. Therefore, man's development represents the social development and forms its essential content.

Secondly, because the development of other fields of society is the expression of man's development. In any society, social wealth and social relations show the degree of the development of people who live and act in society.

Let us study in detail that the process of social development is the process of man's development.

The social development begins with and is ascribed to the development of man.

The development of society begins with the development of man's independent ideological consciousness and creative capability.

In society man is the master and the creator; and government, social system and social wealth are creations of man. Therefore, it is natural that the independent ideological consciousness and creative capability of man, master and creator of society, should be developed, if society is to be progressed. Without the development of the creator anything creative can not be developed first.

The development of productivity begins not with the means of labour but with the development of man's labour force; and the development of the revolutionary movement proceeds not from the change of objective situations but from the development of the driving force.

It is a periodical process that man develops first, which is followed by the development of other components of society corresponding to it.

The development of society is ascribed to man's development. It means that society progresses as far as man develops. In other words, the development of society can never surpass man's development. In slave-owning society slaves fought bravely against exploitation and oppression, but they could not put an end to it. Instead, feudal society, another form of the exploiter society was established. That is because slaves’ independent ideological consciousness and creative ability were not so developed as to go beyond that. In the ancient and the middle age, people’s creative ability was not developed to such an extent as making trucks or planes but remained to use horses or carts only. After all, the development of society is ascribed to the development of man's independence, creativity and consciousness.

That the process of social progress is the process of man’s development finds its clear expression in the fact that the level of social progress is determined by that of man’s development.

The main criterion that assesses the level of social development is the level of man's development.

A superior society is a society that increases the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of man and ensures his independent position and creative role.

Let us explain it with reality.

Today the imperialists and their servants are emphasizing the "development" and "superiority" of capitalist society, clamouring about its "material prosperity". However, when we see through capitalist society, tens of millions and millions of people are suffering from exploitation and oppression and from mental poverty and corrupted inhumane life, being dyed with all sorts of religion and superstition, prejudices and reactionary ideologies.

Then, what about socialist society?

In socialist society, all members of the society lead a dignified and happy life free from exploitation and oppression, help each other forward and live harmoniously with sound ideology and high cultural standards.

Reality shows that capitalist society infringes upon the dignity of man, whereas socialist society defends and develops it. It proves that socialist society is a vital and superior society that is far developed than capitalist society.

All the people from capitalist countries who have come to visit Korea say in chorus that Korea is indeed an ideal society of respecting man which the mankind has been anxious for.

Now, let us study how the process of social progress is made according to man's development.

The process of social progress is the process in which social wealth and social relations are improved in line with man's development.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"Both social wealth and social relations are created by man. Therefore, social wealth is created and social relations are improved in line with the development of man's independent thinking and creative ability."

Society consists of man as well as of social wealth and social relations. Therefore, the process of social progress is the process of man's development and, at the same time, the process in which other components of society are developed in line with man's development.

Social wealth is created and developed in line with man's development.

Social wealth is one of the important components of society and therefore, the development of social wealth is one of the important aspects in social development and an important condition for the development of other fields of society.

Social wealth is created and developed in line not with the development of any other things but with the development of man, creator of social wealth.

That social wealth is created and developed in line with the development of man means that social wealth is created and developed with the development of man's independent ideological consciousness and creative ability.

Social wealth is created and developed in line with the increase of man’s demand for independence to live free from the fetters of nature.

For example, let us assume that we build a dwelling house.

At beginning, people are satisfied with a flat with one room. But they came to know gradually that the flat with one room is uncomfortable, and so they wanted a flat with two, three or more rooms. With the increase of man's demand for independence, they build flats with two or three rooms. Same is the creation and development of other social wealth.

Social wealth is created and developed in accordance with the increase of man’s creative ability.

No social wealth is created and developed beyond man's strength and wisdom.

Then, what is the reason why social wealth is created and developed in line with independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of man.

In a nutshell, it is because independent ideological consciousness and creative ability decide and guarantee man's labour activities.

That social wealth is created and developed by in line with independent ideological consciousness and creative ability never means that independent ideological consciousness and creative ability themselves create or develop social wealth. Social wealth is created and developed by labour activities of man. All social wealth of the past and the present are the product of creative labour of man.

Many factors function in creative labour of man. Since his labour activities are to transform nature, natural environment is the condition that cannot be neglected in labour activities. In addition, since he conducts labour activities in certain production relations, production relations are also an important factor.

However, these factors never determine nor motivate directly labour activities of man.

It is man's ideological consciousness that determines his labour activities. Ideological consciousness is a form of consciousness that reflects the demand and interests of man, and therefore it plays the most active role in his labour activities. Only with a high and strong ideological consciousness of independence can man make innovations in creating and developing social wealth by dynamically conducting creative work to make effective use of favourable conditions and to make good use of unfavourable ones.

Man's labour activities are guaranteed by his creative ability. Without creative ability his creative labour is inconceivable. Talented and wise man with high level of creative ability makes creative labour even in unfavourable conditions and registers bigger success in creating and developing social wealth.

Since man’s independent ideological consciousness and creative ability determine and guarantee his labour activities, creation and development of social wealth is made in accordance with his development man.

It is proved in the process of historical development that social wealth is created and developed in accordance with the development of man.

Looking back the process of historical development of labour tools, they have been developed from stone tools to bronze or copper ones which were followed by iron tools and from manual machines to electric powered ones which were followed by automatic and electronic machines. Such a process is the process of historical development of independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of man, their creator. In other words, each stage of the historical development of labour tools was correspondent to the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of people of that time. Stones wares in the primitive age were the product of the low level of the independent ideological consciousness of the primitive people, whereas computers, robots and so on are the product of the high level of the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the modern people.

The level of development of labour tools in each historical stage reflects the level of independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the people in that period.

Same is the process of historical development of other social wealth.

That social wealth is created and developed in line with man's development is the law of the process of creating and developing social wealth.

The improvement and development of social relations are made in line with the development of man.

Man and social wealth are combined with each other by social relations. So, the improvement and development of social relations is one of the important aspects in the social development.

Social relations are improved and developed in line with the development of man, its transformer.

That social relations are improved in line with man's development means that they develop according to the improvement and development of the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the popular masses.

Social relations improve and develop as the demand of the popular masses for independence to live free from social subjugation increases.

The popular masses improve and develop social relations in a more rational way to realize their demand for independence.

When their independent ideological consciousness is low, the popular masses never cognize contradictions and irrationalities of social relations, and accordingly are unable to improve and develop social relations. But when their independent ideological consciousness becomes high, they improve and develop social relations on the basis of cognition of their contradictions and irrationalities.

Social relations improve and develop as the revolutionary ability of the popular masses increases.

The people’s demand for independence itself, however ardent and high it may be, never improves and develops the contradictory and irrational old social relations. The improvement and development of old social relations are only possible when the popular masses demand it and have the revolutionary ability to realize it. The popular masses are the transformers of old and contradictory social relations, but they cannot realize it without having a high level of revolutionary ability. This is because reactionaries of history try their best to maintain their old social relations.

That the revolutionary ability of the popular masses increases means that the people are united firmly into one political force on the basis of common goal and ideal. The power of the popular masses is inexhaustible. However, if they are not united, they cannot display their power.

When they are prepared politically and ideologically and increase their revolutionary ability, they can improve and develop old and contradictory social relations and realize their demand for independence to free from social subjugation. Like this, the improvement and development of social relations are made in line with the development of independent ideological consciousness and revolutionary ability of the popular masses.

What is the reason that social relations are improved and developed in accordance with the development of independent ideological consciousness and revolutionary ability of the popular masses?

That is because independent ideological consciousness and revolutionary ability determine and guarantee the revolutionary activities of the popular masses.

Social relations are improved and developed by the revolutionary activities of the popular masses. Transformation and development of all social relations are the precious achievements made by the revolutionary activities of the popular masses.

By the way, there function many factors in the revolutionary activities of the popular masses to transform social relations. The popular masses conduct the revolutionary activities in a certain material condition. Therefore, material condition of society is an important factor that functions in the revolutionary activities of the popular masses. In exploiter society, the popular masses conduct the revolutionary activities to transform old social system amid the hindrance of the reactionary forces, and therefore, the moves of the reactionary forces are an important condition in the revolutionary activities of the popular masses. However, these factors do not exert decisive influence on the revolutionary activities of the popular masses.

It is the independent ideological consciousness that propels the revolutionary activities of the popular masses most actively. Whether the popular masses turn out to the revolutionary struggle or not and whether they display their will and fighting spirit in the revolutionary activities or not depend on whether their ideological consciousness of independence is strong or weak. When they are armed themselves with the independent ideological consciousness and become strong both in faith and will, they can transform and develop the old social relations by overcoming difficulties and trials and dynamically conducting the revolutionary activities. However, if they have weak independent ideological consciousness, they can never conduct the revolutionary activities even in favourable conditions nor transform the old social relations. If they are not armed themselves with the independent ideological consciousness and degenerated ideologically, the popular masses cannot defend the already-achieved gains of the revolution (establishment of progressive social system) but lose them to the reactionary forces. With this reason, independent ideological consciousness is said to be a lifeline of the revolutionary activities of the popular masses.

The revolutionary activities of the popular masses to transform the old social relations are guaranteed by their revolutionary ability. When the popular masses are united into one political force and display fully their sense of organization, extraordinariness and creative initiative, the old society falls and a new society is built on its ruin although the reactionary forces are frantic.

The fact that social relations are improved and developed in line with the development of the popular masses is proved by the process of historical development of social system.

With the development of their independent ideological consciousness and creative ability, the popular masses have continued their revolutionary activities to transform the old social system. Thanks to the continuous revolutionary struggle of the popular masses, slave-hold society was changed into feudal society, feudal society into capitalist society and capitalist society socialist society.

It was a progress in enhancing the social position and role of the popular masses that they had toppled down slave-hold and feudal societies and liberated themselves from slave and feudal subjugation. However, the exploiter society has not been liquidated more quickly but existed for long time in other forms under which the popular masses have been continuously exploited and oppressed. It is due to the fact that the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the popular masses had not been matured. The independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the popular masses in slave-hold and feudal society have not been developed so far as to ensure complete liquidation of the exploiter society and to establish the socialist system devoid exploitation and oppression. After having entered capitalist society, there emerged the progressive working class and the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the popular masses increased on such a high level as to liquidate completely the exploiter society. After all, the process of historical development of social system coincides with that of the independent ideological consciousness and revolutionary ability of the popular masses.

As is seen above, society develops through the law-governing process that social wealth is created and social relations are improved in line with the development of the masses' independent ideological consciousness and creative ability.

3. Development of Society through Three Transformations

Another law peculiar to the social development is that society develops through three transformations.

Through what transformation society develops is one of the important questions in elucidating the truth of social development.

The Juche idea newly clarified that society develops through the transformations of nature, society and man to give correct answers to this question.

Three transformations are the main realm of social development.

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said.

"That basic realm of social progress involve the activities to transform nature, society and man. The development of society means, after all, the development of the transformation of nature with the resultant increase in the production of material wealth, the development of the transformation of society with resultant rationalization of social relationship, and the development of the remoulding of man with his resultant growth into a powerful social being having higher standards of ideological and cultural wealth."

Social development is made through the transformation of nature, society and of man.

Then, let us study first why the three transformations are made.

First of all, it is because the popular masses realize their independence completely only through the three transformations.

The popular masses suffer from natural fetters, social subjugation and old ideologies and culture.

Only when they liberate themselves completely from all these fetters and subordination, can the popular masses realize their independence comprehensively, i.e., lead a free and happy life.

However, natural fetters, social subjugation and old ideologies and culture never disappear on their own accord. That is why the popular masses dynamically conduct the transformations of nature, society and man with their creative labour and struggle.

Next, it is because transformation of one field cannot be replaced with nor melted into transformation of another field.

The three transformations are interrelated, but each of them has an independent content and the features peculiar to each.

The popular masses conduct the three transformations of nature, society and man with a view to develop society and realize their independence. However, some countries that built socialism in the past failed to understand this principle and so ignored or neglected the transformation of man, which resulted in collapse of socialism. It gave us a serious lesson.

Let us study the three transformations one by one.

The transformation of nature is one of main fields of social development.

Material wealth is an essential need for man's existence.

Man lives on material wealth. There is a saying that everyone never stands hunger. Man cannot exist without material wealth such as food, clothing and housing.

Material wealth is a material basis for social development. With material wealth we can guarantee materially the development of society.

The transformation of nature is a work of creating and increasing material wealth which is vital for both human life and social development. Nature is a source of abundant material wealth, but few of it is used for man as it is. Man should transform nature in conformity with his demand for independence. Only then, can he create and utilize properly material wealth necessary for his existence and social development.

Nature is man’s living circumstance. Man breaths air, drinks water and receives heat from the sun. However, nature also brings people misfortunes and unfavourable living conditions. Even today to say nothing of the past when society did not develop, people suffer from pains and death due to drought, flood, hot and cold weather.

The transformation of nature is a work to change these unfavourable natural phenomena into favourable ones and favourable ones into better ones.

The transformation of nature is, in essence, a work to enable people to free themselves from natural fetters, enhance their position as masters of nature and broaden the scope of their domination of nature. Only when it is developed, can more material wealth of society and better natural circumstances be created for people to lead a rich and happy life. Only then, can man also enhance his position as master of nature and society develops. Without the transformation of nature, the creation and development of material wealth, one of the important components of society is inconceivable. This shows that the transformation of nature is one of the main fields of social development and that society develops through its development.

The transformation of society is also a main field of social development.

Man cannot live nor develops alone. Therefore, people have social relations consciously to unite and cooperate with each other and, on its basis, hew out their destiny and develop society.

However, social relations and social system do not always serve as social conditions for realizing man's demand for independence and motivating social development. After the emergence of class and the establishment of exploiting system in human history, the exploiting system have been changed into social fetter that disturbs the unity and cooperation between people and hinders social development. Because the exploiting system is the old and reactionary system that subordinates the popular masses socially, the subject of history and oppresses and exploits them cruelly.

The transformation of society is a work of changing the old and reactionary social system and of building a new progressive one. The popular masses should push ahead with the transformation of society. Only then, can they get rid of social relations of exploitation and oppression and establish the one that is characterized by unity and cooperation, thus accelerating social development.

The transformation of society is, in essence, a work to enable the popular masses to free themselves from social subjugation and to occupy the due position as masters of society. In other words, it is to defend and realize social and political independence of the popular masses. "Reform" clamoured by the reactionary ruling class and social democrats never helps realize social and political independence of the popular masses, and therefore, it can never be a work of social transformation.

Society develops through social transformation. Through social transformation the popular masses liquidate the old social relations and social system that oppress and subordinate them and establish a new social relations and social system that realize their independence. This shows that the transformation of society is a main field of social development.

The transformation of man is also a main field of social development.

From the first day of his birth, man has hewed out his destiny while transforming nature and society. However, man has not yet become a full-fledged master of nature and society and is now under the restriction and subordination of the surrounding world. This is because man's power and wisdom have not been increased so far as to overcome them completely.

Moreover, after the emergence of the exploiting class and system in human history, the state and society were encouraged to fabricate reactionary ideologies and culture to make people mentally disabled and slaves for them. As a result, the masses of people have not been armed with the ideological consciousness of independence and remained ignorant, regarding their miserable position as inborn fate. Old ideology and culture continue to exist even after the liquidation of the exploiting system and the establishment of the progressive socialist system to disturb independent and creative activities of the people. The biggest obstacle for the countries that were building socialism is the evil influence of the old ideology and culture.

It is one of the important questions in human history to free the people from old ideology and culture and make them independent and creative social beings.

The transformation of man is a work to solve this question. It is not solved automatically with the establishment of the progressive socialist system and the development of productive forces. It is possible only when the transformation of man is dynamically propelled.

The transformation of man is, in essence, a work to enable the popular masses to free themselves from old ideology and culture and to make them masters of themselves. In other words, It is to realize independence of the popular masses in the field of ideology and culture and to make them more powerful beings.

The development of man’s transformation consists in the main content of social development. Man is the main component and master of society. Therefore, when we conduct man’s transformation and develop the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of people to a high level, we can solve the most important question in developing society. The higher the level of the people's development is, the more developed and vital society is. This shows that the transformation of man is the main field of social development and that society develops through it.

As seen above, it is an inevitable law that society develops through the three transformations of nature, society and man.

Then let us study in what order the three transformations are made.

How the three transformations are made?

The three transformations of nature, society, and man are perpetual undertakings conducted in the whole period of human history.

This never means that the three transformations are always made simultaneously. In a certain stage of history one of three transformations comes to the fore.

Historically speaking, the popular masses as the driving force of the three transformations have set forth primarily the question that comes to the for in realizing their independence and conducted the struggle purposefully and consciously to solve it .

The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il said that in the period of socialist revolution there comes to the fore the question of eliminating exploitation and oppression and realizing social and political independence of the popular masses. In other words, the transformation of society comes to the fore. But after the establishment of socialist system there comes to the fore the transformation of nature and man which aims at liberating man from the fetters of nature and old ideology and culture.

In exploiter society, there comes to the fore the social transformation to liquidate exploitation and oppression and realize social and political independence of the popular masses.

Realizing social and political independence of the popular masses means freeing them from all sorts of social subjugation and inequality, exploitation and oppression, making them masters of the state and society and ensuring their political freedom and right.

Then, what is the reason that social transformation to realize social and political independence of the popular masses comes to the fore in exploiter society?

Independence is life and soul for man, a social being. Without social and political independence, man is as same as animal and is as same as dead man as a social being though he is alive physically. When man is exploited and oppressed, being deprived of his social and political independence, he can never escape from the fate of slave, with his dignity and value being infringed upon. It is proved by miserable position of the people in exploiter society in the past and today.

A Chinese writer depicted a part of miserable position of slaves in his works entitled "Tear of Xueshan".

A young man and a woman who worked as slaves in a plantation in Tibet, China, fall in love with each other, and woman was pregnant. Being informed of this, the master pulled out an eye of the young man and sent him to the backbreaking place and cruelly maltreated the woman to kill herself after giving birth to her twin daughters. Not satisfied with it, he killed one of her twin daughters to make sacrifice for the religion and made a drum with her skin to threaten other slaves. Of course, it is a story of the past. However, same tragedies as this take place everyday even today in capitalist society. A recent US newspaper carried an article that a Negro worker was found guilty in the court and sentenced to jail for he kicked away a dog when it tried to bite him.

If the popular masses are to free from such inhumane position and have human dignity and right, they should realize their social and political independence.

Only when social and political independence is realized, can the popular masses become the possessor of material and cultural wealth.

If they are subordinated socially and politically, the popular masses cannot escape from drudgery, poverty and ignorance even though they create as much wonderful material and cultural wealth as possible.

It is a well-known truth that huge pyramids and luxurious palaces and temples had been built above the dead bodies of slaves. The fact t1hat the average life span of slaves at that time was not beyond 30 years shows how many slaves are killed while they were suffering from drudgery and poverty.

Same was the case of building the Panama Canal. The Canal produced 60 thousand deaths and hundreds of thousands of disabled people. The transit duty of the Canal was thousands of millions dollars per year, which were all taken by the capitalists and the people had not even a pence. That is why the Panamanians call the Canal the “river of death”, saying “the water of the Canal should be coloured red, if the map can paint the colour of history.”

The bourgeois reptile scholars are today advertising capitalist society as “popular capitalism” and “welfare society”. Nevertheless, at the other side of this society, people with no money sell their labour power and even their bodies to maintain their life. They work in dangerous and harmful working condition. They are starved and frozen to death everyday in underground tubes or under bridges or in sewer systems.

In addition, the people without political independence do not have any access to learn though they are anxious to learn and are not free themselves from the poison of reactionary ideology and culture. It happens often in capitalist countries that sons and daughters of the working people make suicides, cursing their society for they cannot realize their dreams of learning and of flowering their youth and that many people are infected with the reactionary ideology and culture to commit murder, robbery and immoralities.

After all, if the popular masses are to free themselves from all sorts of misfortunes and social evils in exploiter society and lead a humane life, they should achieve political independence.

That is why the transformation of society to realize social and political independence of the popular masses comes to the fore as primary question in exploiter society.

Human history proves this.

Since the emergence of exploiter society, the popular masses have conducted dynamic struggle against it to realize their social and political independence.

The Spartacus Slaves' Riot in ancient Rome, the Taipingtianguo Peasants' Uprising in China in middle age and the Paris Commune in France in modern times are the examples.

The popular masses have conducted vigorously the revolutionary struggle against the exploiter society. However, they only changed one form of exploiting system into another one and never realized their social and political independence.

The people’s social and political independence is realized only by the victory of the socialist revolution that puts an end to the exploiting system once and for all and builds the progressive socialist system.

The history of human society since the division of society into hostile classes was the history of social revolution to realize social and political independence of the popular masses.

In exploiter society, there came to the fore the social transformation to liberate the popular masses from social subjugation and to realize their social and political independence. But, in socialist society, there comes before anything else the transformations of nature and man to liberate the people from natural fetters and old ideology and culture and to realize fully their independence.

When the socialist system is established, the popular masses are freed from exploitation and oppression and social subjugation as masters of the state power and the productive forces. In other words, their social and political independence is realized. This means that revolutionary transformation of society was done by and large.

With the establishment of the socialist system, the popular masses realized their social and political independence free from social subjugation, but it never means that they realized their independence completely.

Even in socialist society there still exist the factors that subordinate the people’s independence. They are the fetters of nature and the subordination of old ideology and culture. Due to those factors, the popular masses who were liberated from exploitation and oppression could not lead a rich and civilized life nor realize their independence fully.

Accordingly, the transformations of nature and man come to the fore in socialist society. Meanwhile, all conditions are provided for the popular masses to push ahead with the transformations of nature and man, whose purpose are to liberate them from fetters of nature and old ideology and culture.

In exploiter society, the transformation of nature to create material wealth was conducted in many cases in accordance with the will of the reactionary ruling class and the greedy demand of the exploiting class. So the popular masses had no interest in transforming nature but worked to simply live on. The transformation of man also could not be propelled because the ruling class regarded it as heretic that the popular masses arm themselves with the progressive ideas and acquire the advanced culture.

In socialist society, however, there are no such obstacles. In other words, there are no reactionary forces nor social and economic conditions which check and disturb the creative activities of the popular masses who transform nature and man. In this society, all manpower and material resources are mobilized and utilized for transforming nature and man in a unified and planned way. In addition, the two transformations are done for the popular masses themselves in conformity with their aspirations and demand for independence, and therefore, they have keen interests and take active part in the work with a high sense of revolutionary enthusiasm and creative initiative. So, the transformations of nature and man in socialist society are conducted successfully in terms of both depth and width. It is proved by the unprecedented development of productive forces and brilliant successes achieved in the field of culture. The imperialists, however, are slandering that socialist society is unable to develop science and technology and the economy because it restricts the individual's freedom. Quite contrary to their clamour, socialism developed in only a few decades the science and technology and the productive forces that had been made by capitalism in hundreds of years.

Historical experience shows that only socialist society can successfully carry out the transformations of nature and man comprehensively.

The three transformations are propelled harmoniously in socialist society.

In socialist society, social transformation is made in line with the development of the transformations of man and nature.

Even after the establishment of socialist society, social transformation continues. In socialist society, social relations should be improved continuously. Only then, can the people consolidate firmly their independent position popular and continuously enhance their creative role.

In this society, social transformation is done by means of consolidating and developing the socialist system. This is because the socialist system is the advanced social system in which the popular masses are masters. Therefore, in the socialist society there is no such social transformation to overthrow the social system. Reactionaries only are making frantic efforts to overthrow the socialist system and restore the capitalist system.

When the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the popular masses are enhanced by the transformation of man and the productive forces in society are developed by that of nature in socialist society, social relations are improved in line with them. For example, when people's ideology and culture reach the level of the working class and the productive forces reach such a level as to complete the mechanization of the rural economy, social transformation would be conducted to switch over the cooperative ownership to the all-people ownership.

In socialist society, the transformation of man becomes basic out of the three transformations. This is because it is man who transforms nature, society and himself. Therefore, only when the transformations of nature and society are propelled while giving priority to man’ transformation, can we realize completely the independence of the popular masses and propel the development of socialist society.

The development of the three transformations and their interrelation are complex, but it is the law peculiar to social development that society develops through the three transformations.

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What is the originality and superiority of the Juche-oriented view of the law peculiar to social development?

Human philosophical thought has continued its thinking and research to understand how society changes and develops.

The birth of the Marxist materialistic view of history is of historical significance here.

The Marxist materialistic view of history set forth some valuable viewpoints on the law of social development.

The Marxist materialistic view of history argued that the production relations are transformed in accordance with development of the productive forces and that superstructure is changed with the development of the production relations, the basis. This is the formula of the materialistic view of history on the law of social development.

The Marxist materialistic view of history set the productive forces as the basis, decisive factor for social development and explained that the change and development of all social phenomena are made in line with those of the productive forces.

According to the Marxist materialistic view of history, the productive forces change and develop day by day but the production relations are comparably fixed, which resulted in contradictions between the developing productive forces and the production relations. These contradictions are solved through class struggle and the mode of production is changed with the establishment of new production relations. Philosophical, political and legal views and their corresponding organizations, superstructure of society, are changed slowly or rapidly with the change of production relations, basis of society.

With this view, the Marxist materialistic view of history overcame the idealistic and metaphysic view of social development and made big contributions to establishing a scientific view of the law of social development.

However, the Marxist materialistic view of history has serious limitations.

First of all, it failed to clarify the law peculiar to the social movement.

It did not pay attention to elucidating the subject of the social movement and its characteristics but considered the process of social development from the viewpoint that both natural motion and social movement are the movement of materials. It applied the general law of movement of the material world to the social history to regard the process of social development as the process of natural history.

The Marxist materialistic view of history considered that revolution takes place and win victory first in the country whose productive forces are developed, because it studied the process of social development on the basis of the development of productive forces.

However, reality proved that revolution took place and won victory not in the developed capitalist counties but in those countries whose productive forces were lag behind. This is the clear expression of the limitation of the Marxist materialistic view of history.

Next, it failed to consider the transformation of man as an independent the main field of social development.

Since it found the decisive factor of social development in material production and economic relations, the Marxist materialistic view of history considered that man’s transformation is carried out "automatically" in line with the development of productive forces and the establishment of advanced production relations corresponding to it. Therefrom, they thought that socialism and communism can be built when the productive forces are developed rapidly on the basis of the established socialist mode of production.

However, reality shows that unless the transformation of man is undertaken, socialism and communism can never be built successfully. This is proved by collapse of socialism in the former Soviet Union and other European countries.

The Juche idea overcame the limitations of the Marxist materialistic view of history and provided humanity with the guideline to develop society properly by clarifying the law peculiar to social development.