The masses of the people who create history and shape their destiny independently and creatively constitute an independent subject of history. They are called so in order to distinguish them from the makers of history in general.
The masses of the people, as the subject of history, have increasingly enhanced their position and role throughout the whole course of the development of human history. However, this does not mean that they are an independent subject of history, who always shape their destiny independently and creatively. In an exploiting class society, they have been subject to exploitation and oppression by a handful of ruling classes, and have failed to hold the position of the masters of history. The masses who have not held the position of the masters of history, even though playing a decisive role in the development of history, cannot be called to have become an independent subject of history.
It is a lawful course that the masses grow into the masters of history in conformity with their decisive role in the development of history.
The independent subject of history is the masses who have taken up the position of masters of history in conformity with their decisive role in the development of history.
Chairman
"The popular masses are the subject of history, but they are not always an independent subject, able to shape their destiny independently and creatively. In a society ruled by the exploiting classes, the masses were exploited and oppressed by the minority ruling classes and they did not hold the position of the masters of history. Of course, it was the popular masses who advanced history in that society, too, but they had to bear a heavy burden of creating history, not according to their own will but, in most cases, according to the will of the ruling classes. The masses who have such a status cannot claim to have become the independent subject of history."
As history advances, the masses who are the subject of history develop into an independent subject of history. Their position in the development of history is determined by whether they become the masters of history or not. The criterion for the determination is whether history develops according to the will and desire of the masses of the people or not.
The masses can take up the position of the masters of history only when they develop history according to their will and desire, and conversely, when otherwise, they cannot take up the position of masters.
Although the masses always play a decisive role in developing history, they did not become the masters of history for a long time in an exploiting society.
In an exploiting society, the masses could not but bear the heavy burden of creating history only according to the will of the ruling classes in many cases, not according to their will.
Throughout the whole period of the exploiting society, the masses have continuously performed creative activities to free themselves from the fetters of nature and dominate it. The material condition for human existence and social development is provided by the creative labour of the masses. However, in an exploiting society, the creative labour of the masses was conducted, in many cases, according to the will and desire of the exploiting classes. The exploiting classes monopolized the means of production and controlled the labour activities of the masses. Throughout the whole period of the exploiting society, the masses worked not for themselves but for the exploiting class and the purpose and content of labour activities were entirely determined by the will of the exploiting class. The masses under such a situation cannot be said to be the independent subject of history. To shape their destiny independently and creatively, the masses of the people should, by all means, become the independent subject of history.
In the past in an exploiting society, the masses could not take up the position of the masters of history in conformity with their decisive role in the development of history. It is because they were not conscious of their social and class status and their power, and they did not unite into a political force.
For the masses to become the masters of history, the independent subject of history, they should, first of all, have an independent revolutionary idea, which reflects their desire and aspirations, and clarifies the way of struggle for the realization. With the help of the independent revolutionary idea, the masses become conscious of their social and class status and their power, and seek the way of struggle for realizing their independence.
Only when the masses are armed with an independent revolutionary idea and are guided by it, can they develop history according to their will and desire. However, in an exploiting society in the past, the masses could not wage a revolutionary struggle for independence guided by the independent revolutionary idea which correctly reflects their desire and aspirations.
Of course, in an exploiting society, too, in the past, progressive ideas that reflect the desire and aspirations of the advanced social class came into existence and developed. However, the progressive ideas that came into existence before the working class made their appearance in history could not correctly reflect the desire and aspirations of the masses owing to their historical and class limitations, and could not scientifically illuminate the way of struggle for their implementation. And the masses guided by such ideas could not become independent subject of history.
For the masses to become the masters of history, the independent subject of history, they should, also firmly unite into a political force.
The masses, even though they have an independent revolutionary idea, cannot become the independent subject of history if they are not united into a political force on the basis of the independent revolutionary idea.
A political force is the awakened and organized masses of the people. Only when they are awakened on the basis of the independent idea and are firmly rallied around a political organization, can they take up the position of masters of history and become independent subject of history.
The development of the masses into independent subject of history is an essential requirement and a prerequisite for them to become masters of society. The course of historical development shows that only the masses who have developed into the independent subject of history can become masters of society. The appearance of the progressive working class in history is a social and class condition for the masses to develop into independent subject of history. The working class is the group that raises the demand of completely realizing their independence and that has a revolutionary capacity to realize it.
The working class has the mission of freeing all the members of society as well as themselves from all sorts of bondage and subjugation and of providing them with an independent and creative life.
The masses develop into independent subject of history as the working class make their appearance in history and as the masses are awakened and organized by the independent revolutionary idea of the working class.
Although the masses are the makers of history, they can take up the position and fulfil their role as true masters of their destiny, the independent subject of history only when they are led by the party and the leader.
It is thanks to the leadership of the party and the leader that the masses are awakened and organized and the hard core of the revolution prepared and brought up.
The independent subject of history constitute an integral whole where the leader and the party, the army and the people are linked to one another organizationally, ideologically and morally, and they are a socio-political organism with an immortal independent vitality. The independent subject of history, since they have been formed during the pioneer days of our revolution under the leadership of the leader, increasingly strengthen and develop as the struggle of the masses for independence expand and strengthen.
An understanding of the independent subject of history is a scientific one that enables us to have the most correct understanding of the whole course of history of the development of human society and of today's reality.
