August 1945 Revolution ushers in a new era for Vietnam

August 19, 1945 went down as a historic day in a revolution that shook the world. Nearly two weeks later, at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi on September 2, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the provisional Government, solemnly read the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The success of the August 1945 Revolution can be considered to be of important historical significance as it marked the first great victory of the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). Indeed, the event was a turning point in the history of the nation as it ushered in a new era of independence, freedom, and socialism.

The victory of the August Revolution can be viewed as an endeavour that combines Marxist-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s Thought, and the CPV’s revolutionary line, with national independence and strength being closely linked with socialism. Most notably, the nation’s embrace of the ideology was the first successful implementation of Marxist-Leninism in a former-colonial country in Asia.

This can be thought of as an inevitable development for a nation after experiencing thousands of years of struggle against foreign invaders as it demonstrates the peak of collective will, the strength of community cohesion, and the wisdom of Vietnam. It also takes into account contemporary trends of peace, democracy, social progress, as well as the goal of national independence and socialism.

The victory of the August Revolution ultimately encouraged similar national liberation movements to occur in countries dominated by imperialism and colonialism. Simultaneously, the event showed that a revolution led by a party of the working class could succeed, not only in an underdeveloped nation, but also in a semi-feudal colonial country.

A total of 75 years on from the success of the August 1945 Revolution, the event still provides many valuable lessons for ongoing Vietnamese national construction and development causes and future challenges.

Firstly, the nation is home to a truly revolutionary pioneering party which implements aspects of Marxist-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s Thought, alongside appropriate methods and forms of fighting. The party had the knowledge on how to grasp opportunities, build, organise, and use forces, all for the goal of promoting national strength as a means of leading the masses.

Secondly, the country has successfully gained and held onto the power it won during the great revolution. It can be considered that the CPV knew how to develop revolutionary forces, making them strong enough to rise up and take back control.

In order to maintain growth and run things in a stable manner, the Vietnamese Party and State relied firmly on the people to generate a combined strength aimed at successfully fighting against internal and external enemies. The Party therefore embarked on a policy of using revolutionary violence in a timely and appropriate manner in an effort to smash old state apparatus and establish a state of the people, by the people, for the people.

Finally, the party also seized upon historic opportunities and made correct and timely decisions. The launch of the general uprising at midnight on August 13, 1945, can be considered a wise decision made by the party. This is because at the time the revolution was starting to reach its peak, with revolutionary forces even attracting middle class members. The Japanese army had been largely defeated and were highly demoralised as they waited for the arrival of allied troops, while puppet troops surrendered on mass to revolutionary forces.

In the present day, the country is united with the whole world in the fight against a new enemy, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Government has declared that ‘fighting against COVID-19 is like fighting the enemy’, and has outlined that the battle may be a long one.

In these times more than ever it is the spirit of national unity that should be upheld, with Vietnamese people joining hands with the Government in an all-out effort to stamp out the disease.

Given this historical context, it can be seen that the lessons from the August 1945 Revolutionary remain invaluable in both theory and practice to this day. The responsibility of present-day and future generations is to inherit and promote the value of these lessons in order to defeat every enemy in a rapidly changing world.