Tuesday 8 August 2017

A blast of militant revolutionary anti-imperialism echoing down the decades-special article by Dr Dermot Hudson marking the 50th anniversary of the publication of "Let us intensify anti-imperialist ,anti-US struggle "

                                         



It is remarkable that it seems like only yesterday when the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG  published his immortal classic work " Let Us Intensify anti-US , anti-imperialist struggle "  but in fact five decades have passed , However the work seems as fresh as the day it was published.
                                             


   The work was published in the inaugural issue of "Tricontental magazine , on the 12th of August 1967 which was the organ of the Organisation of Solidarity of the Asian, African and Latin American People's , OSPAAL but better as the Tricontinental organisation or Tricon for short . This had been formed  two years before in Havana , Cuba with the aim of uniting the peoples of the three continents in struggle against US imperialism. It was a true measure of the prestige of the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG that he was asked to write for the inaugural issue of Tricontinental. Comrade KIM IL SUNG was well known throughout the world as a staunch anti-imperialist  ,being  highly revered as the great guerrilla commander who had defeated the Japanese imperialists in the 20 year long war for independence and he was well known as the ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant commander and gifted military strategist who had defeated US imperialism and its satellite countries during the  three year long Fatherland Liberation War.
                                         

  OSPAAL or the Tricon had been formed amidst a period of great revolutionary foment , historians say of the 1960s that "revolution was in the air " . During the 1960s the Vietnam war against the US imperialists waged and in many countries of the world fierce anti-imperialist armed struggles took place . Youth rejected old conservative ideas and came out onto the strreets  All over the world people revolted against the old order. People wanted independence. The Tricon represented this spirit The countries of Korea, Cuba and Vietnam formed a militant revolutionary anti-imperialist front . Some commentators  even talked of  the 'Havana, Hanoi, Pyongyang Axis '. One of the leaders and chief activists of the Tricon was the legendary Cuban-Argentinian revolutionary and icon Major Ernesto Che Guevara.
                                        


 Indeed  comrade KIM IL SUNG gives a very clear definition of the role of the anti-US, anti-imperialist struggle and its centrality " The struggle of the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America against imperialism and colonialism is a sacred liberation struggle for hundreds of millions of oppressed and humiliated people; it is also a great battle to cut the life line of world imperialism. This struggle and the revolutionary struggle of the international working class for socialism are the two major revolutionary forces of our times, and they join into one stream which will carry imperialism to its grave ". This is a very valuable analysis and teaching that we should always bear in mind.He on to say that "Once Asia, Africa and Latin America are completely freed from old and new colonialism, there will not be an imperialist Western Europe and an imperialist North America.".This was a a very peceptive comment which contains a basic truth that the imperialists hate and want to hide . For this reason they fight tooth and nail to preserve the system of domination and exploitation in the third world,
   It is made clear that that the nature of imperialism cannot never change , as comrade KIM IL SUNG puts it "The imperialists cannot bestow independence upon the colonial peoples. Is there any need to prove the falsity of the imperialists’ declaration that the Western world can help the peoples of the three continents to achieve independence and progress and can coexist with a free and independent Asia, Africa and Latin America? The imperialist leopard cannot change his imperialist spots, and he never will. Imperialism will exploit, oppress and plunder the people until it meets its doom."
  This is great truth expounded by the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG . The revolutionary peoples must carry out the struggle against US and world imperialism to the very end and not slacken it . He puts forwards various tasks for the world revolutionary peoples including those countries which had already achieved independence . Such countries needed to go further and fully carry out the revolution by smashing any remaining imperialist footholds, establishing a progressive social system and building an independent national economy.
     Comrade KIM IL SUNG saw through both modern revisionism and Left opportunism in the work . At the time both modern revisionism and Left opportunism had caused immense damage by splitting the international communist movement and world revolutionary movement . Modern revisionism had a particularly debilating effect on many Communist Parties particularly those in Europe. Such parties only spoke about peace and  eschewed revolutionary struggle believing that socialism can achieved through peaceful and parliamentary means . Some communist parties as a result of modern revisionism became very staid and almost conservative in their outlook ,constantly saying ;we cannot do this , we cannot do that" , " we cannot say that " and " we must not upset anyone " . Not unsurprising the militant and revolutionary minded youth in a number of countries turned their faces away from these tired , burnt-out revisionist communist parties. Left opportunism arose in opposition to modern revisionism , it raised strong slogans and talked grandly about  "Hands Off Across the Ocean" but failed to wage an anti-imperalist struggle in practice ,worse still even slandered the activities of  Major Ernesto Che Guevara and attacked independent parties like the Workers' Party of Korea .Comrade KIM IL SUNG in an often quoted passage criticised both modern revisionism and Left opportunism  saying that "It is wrong to try to avoid the struggle against imperialism under the pretext that independence and revolution are important, but that peace is still more precious. Is it not true that the line of seeking unprincipled compromise with imperialism only tends to encourage its aggressive actions and increase the danger of war? Peace secured by slavish submission is not peace. Genuine peace cannot be achieved unless a struggle is waged against those who break the peace, unless the slave’s peace is rejected and the oppressors’ rule overthrown. We are opposed to the line of compromise with imperialism. At the same time, we cannot tolerate the practice of only denouncing imperialism but, in actual fact, being afraid to fight it. This is a line of compromise in an inverted form. Both have nothing to do with a genuine anti-imperialist struggle and only help the imperialist policy of aggression and war"
 This is a devastating critique of modern revisionism and Left opportunism struck a chord with many people.
   Comrade KIM IL SUNG expounds the truth about US imperialism and says that spearhead of struggle should always be directed against US imperialism . He said of  US imperialism ; "

. US imperialism is, indeed, the most heinous and shameless plunderer known to history. It is the US imperialists themselves who are causing peoples all over the world calling for peace, independence and progress, to unite in a common front against US imperialism."

 This is a very basic truth about US imperialism that never should be forgotten . The strategy of concentrating the struggle against US imperialism rather than being diverted or distacted into fighting either secondary enemies or unreal ones , was a most wise one.
   In the work  the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG explains how the struggle to reunify Korea is intimately linked to the worldwide anti-imperialist ,anti-US struggle writing that " The supreme task of the Korean people at this time is to liquidate the colonial system of US imperialism in south Korea, accomplish the national-liberation revolution and reunite the country. For the Korean people to achieve the cause of national liberation, forces must be prepared along three fronts: strengthen the socialist forces in north Korea; increase and augment the revolutionary forces in south Korea; and develop the international revolutionary movement and strengthen solidarity with it. North Korea is the base of the Korean revolution. The successes of socialist construction there encourage the south Korean people in their anti-US, national-salvation struggle and stimulate the preparation of revolutionary forces in south Korea. We are striving to strengthen and develop the revolutionary forces in north and south Korea and, at the same time, to cement solidarity with the international revolutionary forces. The Korean people support the struggle of the peoples of all countries against US imperialism, and regard it as support for their own cause of liberation". This shows the dialectical interrelationship between the stuggle for Korea's reunification and the international revolutionary . It also shows that comrade KIM IL SUNG was a great internationalist who always saw the Korean revolution within the context of the world struggle for independence and socialism .
    When the work was published it was acclaimed by many revolutionary organisations throughout the world. For example,Sam Nujoma leader of the South West African People's Organisation(SWAPO) and later President of Namibia said of the work "Let Us Intensify anti-imperialist ,anti-US struggle " wrote that "In the struggle against imperialism we are relying on the line clarified by Premier Kim Il Sung in his treatise "Let Us Intensify the Anti Imperialist,anti US Struggle...We are making endeavours to cement solidarity among world revolutionary peoples in the anti US anti imperialist struggle"
                     

  Today the work " "Let Us Intensify anti-imperialist ,anti-US struggle"  is more relevant than ever as the US imperialists under the leadership of the fascist Trump are going to all kinds of extremes to keep in existence the giantic Yankee global empire which straddles the world and exploits and plunders the people . Some countries have given up the struggle against US imperialism but People's Korea under the leadership of dear respected Marshal KIM JONG UN true to the anti-imperialist,anti-US ideas of the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG keeps up a sharp struggle against US imperialism . Indeed as we have said many times People's Korea is the most anti-American , anti-imperialist country in the world , long may it continue to be so ! . The blast of militant revolutionary anti-imperialism echoes like thunder down the decades !
     We recommend if you have done so already please read ""Let Us Intensify anti-imperialist ,anti-US struggle " ! 
 Dr Dermot Hudson
 President Association For the Study of Songun Politics UK
Chairman Juche Idea Study Group of England
Official Delegate UK Korean Friendship Association
Member International Committee For the Study of Songun Politics
 

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