EBP - Ideological Introversion and Regime Survival (Chapter 4) - Why Communism Did Not Collapse

In this reading, among all the communist countries that survived of the post 1989-era, North Korea has by far been the most unique and successful one. They have been the most resistant as well as the most adamant about keeping their ideology pure and free from the influences of the outside world. Despite the falls of most their allies, they remained their old way and survived much longer than how they were thought they would. The reasons for them remaining “pure” for so long is that even from the beginning, their ideology has always been a little different than that of Marx and Lenin. Their belief was a combination of Marxism, Leninism and also neo-Confucianism. Back in the 1960s, their teachings and propagandas were already directed toward their leader Kim Il Sung rather than to Marx and Lenin which was a significant difference from what the other communist states were doing at that time. Gradually, they started calling their ideology “our style socialism”. Our style socialism is in fact has little to do with Marxism and Leninism. It is not even entirely socialism but it is nationalism. They did not focus on an economic autarky, but a political self-determination and freedom from outside control. When they had a famine that killed millions of people, they seeked help from the Western countries and the UN. They were one of the countires that received the most aids. Clearly, the economic factors at that time pushed them to engage with the West because it was a matter of survival. However, they still did not compromise in terms of politics and military. Their regime was thoguht to be the best of both worlds because they were able to get the economic benefits of Western investment, assistance and on the other hand, they did not have to reform their existing political system or weaken their ruling elites. In the 2000s, they decreased their engagement with the West and South Korea after they were able to get up on their feet. Then they strengthened their relations with China and Russia. It was somewhat irony in a way that they gained new regional connections but they were still able to stay introverted and isolated. However, gaining relations with other countries also meant increased threats for the leadership of North Korea because there were a significant numbers of private entrepreneurs. They thought it were the seed of materialism/ a disease of Western individualism and it needed to be destroyed. So in 2009, North Korea leadership decided to established a new currency which wiped out all financial gains made by private entrepreneurs. North Korea has been isolating themselves for so long and has been able to do that because they are not a pure Soviet creation. The “domino effect” that fell upon the Communist States in Europe was absent in East Asia. Also, the economic crisis alone was not enought to elimininate them. Their centralized politics together with their doctrines which are heavily isolated from the outside information has enabled them to survive through the fall of the communist states in the 1989s. They have been “muddling” their way through by having flexible economy policy but strict political and military control. They also believe that the European communist states fell because they did not educate the young generation properly. To them, proper education of the youths is the key to a successful “Juche” state. The youths in North Korea receive the same education whether they are at home, in a social setting or in school to maintain a strong, common belief that is shared among all people of the state. However, as the whole world is moving fowards, there have been some changes for North Korea as well despite their effort to isolate themselves from the outside world. There have been a growing number in entrepreneurship, people leaving the country as well as a widespread connection to the world media. Many believe that it would be very hard for them to still implement mid-twentieth-century ideological control mechanisms to rule a twenty-first-century nation. However, the odd might still be with them and they would be able to keep their old way and survive like how they did before. Only time will tell.