October Revolution and history lessons

(Baonghean) - In 1927, in the first political theory textbook of the Vietnamese revolution - "The Revolutionary Path", leader Nguyen Ai Quoc introduced the nature and experience of revolutions that had taken place in world history. In particular, regarding the Russian October Revolution, he clearly stated: Only by following the path of the October Revolution - the only correct path - could the Vietnamese Revolution gain true independence and freedom. 94 years have passed, that earth-shaking revolution is still deeply imprinted in the history of mankind.

In 1917, the situation of the Russian Empire was very tragic. It participated in the First World War of imperialism but lost consecutively. There was a severe lack of weapons and food, pushing the people into starvation. The Russian people hated imperialist war and the Tsarist regime. Workers, peasants, and soldiers rose up. The revolutionary spirit was boiling, and in many places, Soviets of workers, peasants, and soldiers were established.

In February of the Russian calendar (March of the Gregorian calendar) in 1917, the Tsar was overthrown. However, the bourgeoisie betrayed the people, the people who made the revolution successful. They established a bourgeois government led by Kerensky, declaring to rule the country. As a result, at this time in Russia there existed two parallel governments: the government of the working people and the government of the bourgeoisie. Before that, the "populists", political opportunists in Russia, had launched a retrograde theory: let capitalism develop first, let the bourgeoisie take power first, let the bourgeois revolution take place first, and later when Russian capitalism has fully developed, let's raise the issue of proletarian revolution...!

Faced with that situation, VI Lenin and the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks), on the one hand, opposed the half-baked revolutionary ideology and theory of political opportunists and the bourgeoisie, exposed the hypocritical and reactionary face of the Kerensky bourgeois government; on the other hand, promoted the revolutionary spirit of the worker-peasant-soldier Soviets at the grassroots level, and at a time when the people could no longer live as before, and the Kerensky bourgeois government could no longer continue to deceive the people to participate in the rotten world war as before, organized and led uprisings everywhere.

Statue of Uncle Ho in Moscow. Photo: Lan Xuan

On the night of October 24-25 of the Russian calendar (ie the night of November 6-7 of the Gregorian calendar), revolutionary forces dealt a fatal blow to Petrograd, overthrew the bourgeois government, surrounded the Winter Palace, and on October 25, under the support of the Aurora battleship, the entire bourgeois government was arrested. The uprising was victorious; the proletarian government was established throughout Russia. The October Revolution left many valuable lessons for world revolutionaries about the sole leadership of the Communist Party, about the worker-peasant alliance, and the art of seizing opportunities to win. Leader Nguyen Ai Quoc said: "Like the brilliant sunlight, the October Revolution shone across the five continents, awakening millions and millions of oppressed and exploited people on earth. In human history, there has never been a revolution with such great and profound significance."

First of all, the October Revolution strongly encouraged the revolutionary movement of the international working class, showing them the way to victory in the struggle against capitalism. Following the example of the October Revolution, a high tide of proletarian revolution broke out in Europe (1918 - 1923), violently shaking the domination of the bourgeoisie in many countries. The Communist International, founded in 1919 (operating until 1943), played a very important role in the development and victory of the peasant movement in many countries. From then on, a new period was opened in the national liberation movement of the people of the colonies and dependent countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Among the countries that gained independence, a new trend emerged - the trend of following the path of proletarian revolution under the ideological banner of Marxism-Leninism, including Vietnam, which was under French colonial rule.

Since 1920, after reading Lenin's "First Draft of Theses on the National and Colonial Questions", Nguyen Ai Quoc found a way to save the Vietnamese people. That was the path following the Russian October Revolution, the path of the Proletarian Revolution.

From the victorious experience of the October Revolution, it was the sole leadership of the Communist Party. The Communist Party of Vietnam was the only one in the revolutionary movement. The lessons about opportunities, revolutionary situations, and about seizing and maintaining power from the Russian October Revolution were thoroughly and creatively applied by our Party in the August 1945 General Uprising. Since then, the Communist Party of Vietnam has led our country's revolution from one victory to another: the resistance war against the French from 1945 to 1954; the resistance war against the Americans to save the country from 1954 to 1975; and the renovation process from 1986 to the present. In the later revolutions, national democracy and socialist revolution, our Party also learned from the experience of the October Revolution in uniting workers, farmers and soldiers into a unified bloc to create great strength; Build and consolidate a strong proletarian dictatorship under the absolute leadership of the Party while combining patriotism and genuine proletarian internationalism.

Today, the situation in the world and Russia has changed a lot, but the mark of the great October proletarian revolution in Russia in 1917 is still a brilliant milestone in the 20th century and its lessons are forever priceless when there is still fierce class struggle on earth. At the 50th anniversary celebration of the October Revolution, President Ho Chi Minh said: "The more we remember the humiliating days of losing the country, remember every step of the revolutionary struggle full of sacrifices and hardships but also full of glorious victories, the more the working class and people of Vietnam appreciate the great contributions of Lenin and the October Revolution".

To Hong Hai -Head of Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department