From fascism to communism: continuity and development of collectivist economic policy in North Korea

On the basis of new archival evidence and a reading of other materials, this article demonstrates that economic policies in North Korea after 1945 very closely resembled those implemented by the Japanese towards the end of their colonial rule. This resemblance was a natural consequence of the collectivist spirit dominating both regimes. This conclusion challenges the standard interpretation of formation of the North Korean regime, which asserts discontinuity of the regime with the colonial one.