The Nature of Our Revolution at the Current Stage and the Primary Tasks of Our Party in the Cause of Socialist Development in North Korea

[CPSU CC stamp: Secret Copy Nº 1

08544 12 March 1955

12 March 1955] Nº 440/dv

to the CPSU CC

to Cde. V. P. STEPANOV

I am sending to you as an attachment to a Korean Worker's Party document received from the Soviet Embassy in the DPRK, "The Nature of Our Revolution at the Current Stage and the Primary Tasks of Our Party in the Cause of Socialist Development in North Korea".

ATTACHMENT: the aforementioned on seven pages.

(N. FEDORENKO)

[signature]

2-PP/vv [handwritten note: "to the archive. The material was

1 - addressee used in a conclusion about the KWP program. Store

2 - to file with N 12066. I. Shcherbakov 30 May 1955",

10 March 1955 accompanied by two signatures: "V. Gorbunov,

N 677-dv 11 June 1955" and "I. ?Kurdyukov?] 3 June 1955"].

[handwritten:] Ref N 926 dv

of 2 March 1955

translation from Korean

to Party cadre

The nature of our revolution at the current stage and the primary tasks of our Party in the cause of socialist development in North Korea

(January 1955)

The Nature of Our Revolution at the Current Stage and the Primary Tasks of Our Party in the Cause of Socialist Development in North Korea

______________________________________________________

1. The nature of the revolution at the current stage

Our country is still not reunited. The territory of the country and the nation has been divided into two parts; the southern part of the country has completely turned into a colony of American imperialism.

We are faced with the task of achieving reunification of the Motherland and creating an independent country by liberating the people of South Korea from the imperialist and colonial oppression and crushing the pro-American and pro-Japanese landowning circles of South Korea who have become the allies of the American aggressors.

Therefore it is necessary rally the people of South Korea around our Party and mobilize them to a nationwide revolutionary struggle. The revolutionary forces of South Korea, primarily the working class, and also their loyal ally, the peasantry and the petit bourgeois who oppose the feudal and imperialist forces, and even part of the national bourgeoisie have the ability to wage an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle.

In these conditions when South Korea has become a colony of American imperialism it is necessary to launch a lengthy nationwide struggle.

Our revolution should finish the national liberation and accomplish all its anti-feudal tasks to liberate the broad masses of the peasantry which are being oppressed and exploited by the landowners.

Therefore in the conditions of the division of the country our revolution is an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal democratic revolution, representing the first stage of a popular democratic revolution.

However, to achieve the complete independence of the Motherland,  and complete victory of the popular democratic revolution it is necessary to strengthen the democratic basis of North Korea, the starting point of our revolution politically, economically, and militarily, and it is necessary to further develop the revolution in the northern part of Korea.

Thanks to the great Soviet Army the Korean people were liberated from the long colonial repression of the Japanese imperialists.

After liberation the working class of North Korea, based on a strong alliance with the peasantry and pursuing a common front with the anti-feudal- and anti-imperialistic-minded petit bourgeoisie, established people's power.

The bodies of people's government, under the leadership of our Party and involving all strata of the population, eliminated the remnants of Japanese imperialism and carried out a land reform, as a result of which the landowners' land was confiscated and distributed free of charge among the peasants, and nationalized industries, railroads, and banks belonging to pro-Japanese elements, national traitors, and Japanese imperialists.

As a result of this the tasks of an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolution in North Korea were completely accomplished and the people of North Korea embarked upon the path of a gradual transition to socialism. The victory of the democratic revolution and the successes of the democratic development in North Korea have become a great force opposing American imperialism and their minions, the mercenary clique of Syngman Rhee. These forces ensured the historic victory of the Korean people in the three-year war of liberation, defended the democratic basis of North Korea, the starting point of our revolution, from the aggression of the imperialists and the clique of Syngman Rhee.

At the present time the American imperialists and the Syngman Rhee clique are planning to seize North Korea.

Therefore we should not only strengthen the democratic base in North Korea politically, economically, and militarily but also make it the deciding force in the achievement of reunification and independence of our country.

At the same time we are faced with the task of building socialism and of a further strengthening the union of the working class and the peasantry, at least in North Korea by restructuring the economy in a socialist manner.

This became a necessary requirement of the socioeconomic development of North Korea. Without socialist reforms it is impossible to strengthen the democratic base, the actual guarantee of the reunification of the Motherland.

This will consolidate the successes of the democratic revolution achieved in North Korea even more, and further strengthen the socialist forces capable of ensuring the complete victory of the popular democratic revolution in our country.

The growth of the forces of socialism in the northern part of the republic will be a mighty driving force for the people of North Korea and first of all for the workers, peasants, and broad masses of the petit bourgeoisie, and permit the creation of a broad front with some circles of the national bourgeoisie of South Korea.

Therefore even in conditions when complete unity and independence have not been achieved, the northern part of the republic should carry out the tasks of the socialist revolution, the second stage of the popular democratic revolution.

The accomplishment of the tasks of the socialist revolution in the northern part of the republic at this stage is to continue to carry out the task of the period of transition to socialism.

2. The primary tasks of our Party in socialist development at the current stage of the transitional period

The forces of socialism, which serve as a powerful means of the reunification of the motherland, have begun to grow in the northern part of the republic as a result of the establishment of people's power and carrying out democratic reforms after the liberation of Korea by the Soviet Army.

The primary tasks of the first stage of the transitional period were to democratize our entire country, revive and develop the economy on a planned basis, overcome the imbalance in industry peculiar to a colonial country through the consistent elimination of the vestiges of Japanese domination, and to thereby form the conditions for socialist development.

The struggle of the people of the northern part of the republic for the transition to socialism was halted because of the war.

The tasks with which we are faced at the current stage of the transitional period are to create a socialist base on the basis of the successes we have achieved in the postwar revival and development of the economy, relying on the strong bond of the working class and peasantry.

It is necessary to transform the capitalist elements in all sectors of the economy on a socialist basis, strengthen the dominance of the socialist sector in each sector of the economy while developing the established socialist production relations, keep the pulse of the entire economy of the country in their hands, and ensure the powerful development of productive forces to create the material base of socialism.

The following tasks need to be done to do this:

Carry out socialist industrialization of industry and create a new technical base in each sector of the economy;

Shift the private sector of agriculture to socialist production, namely gradually form the peasantry into cooperatives on a voluntary basis;

Gradually transform cottage industry and small-scale private trade on a socialist basis;

Gradually eliminate the capitalist elements which still exist in the city and countryside through restricting and forcing them out;

Strengthen the production ties between our industry and agriculture, particularly the trade links between them, using the market to do this;

Along with this pay special attention to instilling socialist ideology and class consciousness in the popular masses, and develop a large number of new workers from the working masses in the field of technology and culture.

These are the primary tasks of the current stage of the transition period toward socialism of the northern part of our country.

Drafted on 31 January 1955

Typed on 1 February 1955.

Translated [signature] Kovalev

       [signature] Fadeyev

5-lv

14 February 1955