The Revolutionaries
Karl Marx
Karl Marx was a revolutionary, but different from Kim Il Sung. His radical ideas that make up the concept of communism were implemented in USSR, China, and recently, North Korea.
“It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervour, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of Philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, it has set up that single, unconscionable freedom -- free trade. In one word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation.” |
The Communist Manifesto
Marx, along with Frederick Engels, penned The Communist Manifesto. It is made up of his theories and opinions about the ideal society (see Marxism-Leninism).
“You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine tenths. You reproach us, therefore, with intending to do away with a form of property, the necessary condition for whose existence is the non-existence of any property for the immense majority of society.” |
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik takeover of Russia that led to the communist Soviet Union. Many of the main ideas of his revolution were utilized by Kim Il-Sung in North Korea's construction.
"When one makes a Revolution, one cannot mark time; one must always go forward - or go back. He who now talks about the "freedom of the press" goes backward, and halts our headlong course towards Socialism." |
"Through the ages of world history thousands of leaders and scholars appeared who spoke eloquent words, but these remained but words. You, Lenin, were an exception. You not only spoke and taught us, but translated your words into deeds. You created a new country." |
Joseph Stalin
"You cannot make a revolution with silk gloves."
- Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin was the totalitarian leader of the Soviet Union following the Bolshevik Revolution of Russia, and he led the country during the split of Korea along the 38th parallel. He had a strong influence on Kim Il Sung's invasion of South Korea and supported North Korea during the Korean War.
"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas." |
Stalin was motivated by the ideas of the Communist Manifesto which he discovered while studying at a seminary.
"Mankind is divided into rich and poor, into property owners and exploited; and to abstract oneself from this fundamental division, and from the antagonism between poor and rich, means abstracting oneself from fundamental facts." |
As Lenin grew old, he began to have doubts about Stalin, and was worried whether he really was to be trusted with so much power.
“All of us around Stalin were temporary people. As long as he trusted us to a certain degree, we were allowed to go on living and working. But the moment he stopped trusting you, Stalin would start to scrutinize you until the cup of his distrust overflowed.” |