ABSTRACT
The revolution which began in North Korea in 1945 displays a blend of generic and specific characteristics. The generic lies in the lessons Kim II Sung and his colleagues drew from the universal laws of Marxism, the revolutionary organisational and tactical framework developed chiefly by Lenin, and the practical experience of Communist parties in power, most notably the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in power under Stalin. This chapter examines a number of influences on the life-experience in the light of the events described in this book for placing them in the generic context of Leninist revolutionary movements. A consideration of the specific characteristics of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) revolution begins with Kim II Sung himself. During 1941–1945 he was exposed to the Stalinist model of military mobilisation, and from 1945–1958 he observed and participated in the implementation of fully-blueprinted Stalinism in the North.
