October Revolution and the future of socialism
The great October Revolution in Russia opened a new era - the era of transition from capitalism to socialism on a worldwide scale.
However, the movement of history is tortuous and complicated. Therefore, although the international situation is currently extremely complicated, socialism is in crisis and disintegrating in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, our Party in the Platform for national construction in the transitional period still affirms that "Socialism is currently facing many difficulties and challenges. World history is currently going through tortuous steps; but mankind will eventually definitely advance to socialism because that is the evolutionary law of History".
Inheriting the achievements of the October Revolution, Russia and later the Soviet Union built a socialist model that in the initial stage had many advances: it was a social regime without class antagonism and oppression; it was a society where all members were equal; it built a policy system for the people and by the people... But it was also in the Soviet Union that the bureaucratic and subsidized mechanism, the economy based on the planning and egalitarian model were maintained for too long. The event of September 18, 1991 that took place in the Soviet Union was the inevitable result of a series of erroneous reform policies originating from the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in March 1986.
Thus, it can be affirmed that the crisis and disintegration of the socialist model in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe first of all originated from the social design and construction policies of the ruling Communist Parties and the main cause of the prolonged economic stagnation and backwardness. Once the cause was recognized, haste and impatience led to mistakes in the way of correction.
At the same time, the Communist Party of Vietnam introduced the renovation policy at the 6th Congress in 1986 and China a while earlier. Thus, the Communist Parties all recognized the sclerosis of the socialist model and affirmed that the need to quickly innovate the economic and social management mechanisms was an objective necessity. In that context, the Vietnamese people have the Communist Party of Vietnam, a party founded and trained by President Ho Chi Minh that has always known how to combine national and contemporary factors in its revolutionary policy. The fact that our Party is now gradually building a model of a socialist society is the creative application of Marxism-Leninism to the specific conditions of each country. We do not deviate from Marxism-Leninism in the process of building socialism, but we also do not mechanically and dogmatically apply the principles of Marxism. Therefore, socialism built in China, Vietnam and some other countries is a testament to the creative application of Marxism in the conditions of each country.
In terms of the laws of historical movement and development, the socio-economic forms go from low to high. But in that process, there may be countries that, due to subjective and objective conditions, may ignore one or several socio-economic forms of development. However, VI Lenin also warned that countries in the process of development must not ignore the economic laws that previous regimes had applied. That reminder has great significance for the Communist Party of Vietnam when, in terms of social consciousness, we ignore the stage of capitalist development, but we absolutely must not ignore the economic laws that have been and are being developed under the capitalist regime.
Socialism with the meaning of bringing full meals, warm clothes, equality and love to the working masses is the expression of the eternal dream of mankind. From the practice of building socialism in Vietnam, China, Cuba and the trend of socialism in many countries including the Russian Federation, we have a new way of thinking about socialism, a gentle way of thinking, not following dogmatic stereotypes as before. With that meaning, the Russian October Revolution is a revolution that marks the beginning and certainly, although it will be very long and arduous, the cause that the Russian October Revolution opened will become reality. That is the inevitable law of history.
Dr. Doan Minh Due (Head of Department of Political Education - Vinh University)
