The August Revolution of 1945 - A symbol of the strength of national unity.

On the occasion of the 77th anniversary of this momentous event, we respectfully present the article: "The August Revolution of 1945 - A Symbol of the Strength of National Unity" by Major, Doctor Tran Huu Huy - Institute of Military History (Ministry of National Defense).

General Vo Nguyen Giap, Commander-in-Chief, joins the soldiers in celebrating the victory, held at the Command Headquarters in Muong Phang during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, a victory "renowned throughout the world and shaking the earth." (Photo: VNA)

The Party's correct and creative policy of national unity.

In 1858, the French colonialists launched their invasion of Vietnam. The Nguyen dynasty, facing crisis and powerlessness, suffered defeat and surrendered (signing the Treaty of Giap Than in 1884), accepting to become a puppet of the invaders. From then on, to serve their colonial enslavement and long-term exploitation, the French implemented a deeply insidious "divide and conquer" policy. The people lived in misery and hardship, their lives filled with suffering and despair.

Despite the heroic struggles of generations of Vietnamese people, such as the Can Vuong movement (late 19th century), peasant uprisings (late 19th and early 20th centuries), and the nationalist movement with a bourgeois democratic orientation (early 20th century), all were "drowned in a sea of ​​blood" by the enemy. One of the most fundamental reasons for this failure was that the patriotic movements failed to harness the strength of national unity due to a lack of theoretical basis, appropriate means, and suitable strategies.

After a period of active campaigning, on February 3, 1930, the Communist Party of Vietnam – the political party of the proletariat (workers) – was founded (renamed the Communist Party of Indochina in October 1930), affirming the inevitable path of development for the Vietnamese revolution as a path combining and upholding the banner of national independence and socialism ("advocating bourgeois democratic revolution and agrarian revolution to move towards a communist society").

On August 19, 1945, following a rally at the Grand Theatre Square, the people of Hanoi seized the Northern Government House, the headquarters of the French puppet regime in Northern Vietnam. The August Revolution is a historical lesson, ushering in a new era in Vietnam, an era in which the Vietnamese people became masters of their own country and their own destiny. Photo: VNA archives

To achieve that strategic goal, the Communist Party of Vietnam formulated a very correct national unity policy, which was: The Party advocated gathering the vast majority of the working class, enabling the working class to lead the masses, winning over the vast majority of the peasantry, and relying on the poor peasants to build a solid worker-peasant alliance; at the same time, "it is necessary to maintain close contact with the petty bourgeoisie, intellectuals, middle peasants... to draw them into the proletarian camp. As for wealthy peasants, middle and small landowners, and Vietnamese capitalists whose counter-revolutionary tendencies are not yet clear, they must be exploited, and only after some time should they be made neutral. Any group that has openly shown counter-revolutionary tendencies... must be overthrown." This scientific and correct revolutionary policy and line was the most important prerequisite leading to all the victories of the Vietnamese revolution.

After its founding, based on the global context and the domestic situation at different historical periods, the Party continued to shift its strategic and tactical direction to unite all patriotic forces in a national united front under the Party's leadership. Accordingly, mass mobilization and organization work underwent many innovative and creative forms, such as the establishment of:

The Anti-Imperialist Alliance (November 1930 - March 1935), the Anti-Imperialist League (March 1935 - October 1936), the Indochinese People's United Front against Imperialism (October 1936 - March 1938), the Indochinese Democratic Front (March 1938 - November 1940), the National United Front against Imperialism (November 1940 - May 1941), and the Viet Minh Front (from May 1941). Through these organizations, the Party built and educated a political army of millions, and the strength of national unity was continuously consolidated and strengthened.

In particular, the 8th Conference of the Central Executive Committee of the Party (May 10-19, 1941), held in Pac Bo (Cao Bang) and chaired by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, reaffirmed that national liberation was the top priority of the revolution and decided on the resolution of the national liberation issue within each Indochinese country. Each Indochinese country would establish its own national united front. In Vietnam, the Vietnam Independence League (Viet Minh Front) would be established, comprising mass organizations under the name "National Salvation Association".

On May 19, 1941, the Viet Minh Front was officially established. In October 1941, the Viet Minh Front published its Manifesto, Program, and Regulations, affirming its policy of "uniting all strata of the people regardless of religion, political party, political tendency, or class, to fight together to expel the French and Japanese and win independence for the country."

After its establishment, the Viet Minh Front intensified its propaganda efforts, developing both its organization and forces, forming a system from the central level to the grassroots. By mid-1945, the Viet Minh had approximately 5 million members. At this point, the great unity bloc expanded, gradually developing to its highest level, ready to unleash its immense strength to rise up and seize power when the time was ripe!

Harnessing the strength of national unity, we successfully carried out the general uprising.

In early 1945, World War II was drawing to a close. Fascism faced the threat of complete annihilation. In this difficult situation, the Japanese fascists staged a coup to overthrow the French (March 9, 1945) in order to seize control of Indochina.

Immediately after the Japanese coup against the French, the Standing Committee of the Central Party Committee held an expanded meeting in Dinh Bang (Bac Ninh), issuing the directive "The Japanese-French Conflict and Our Actions" (March 12, 1945), clearly identifying the only immediate enemy of the Indochinese people at that time as the Japanese fascists. The conference decided to launch a powerful "Anti-Japanese National Salvation" movement as a prelude to the general uprising. The armed struggle and successive partial uprisings took place in many localities, pushing the Japanese army and their puppet government into a serious crisis.

On August 13, 1945, the Japanese Imperial Government was forced to declare unconditional surrender to the Allied powers. News of the surrender quickly spread across all fronts. The Japanese occupying forces in Indochina were paralyzed and demoralized, and the puppet government was in utter disarray. A revolutionary atmosphere surged throughout the country.

According to the agreement of the victorious Allied powers, Chiang Kai-shek's army (Republic of China) would advance into North Vietnam, while the British and French armies would enter South Vietnam (divided along the 16th parallel) to disarm the Japanese army. However, their true intention was to eliminate the revolutionary forces and the Indochinese Communist Party, and establish a puppet government to serve their own agendas of rule.

Faced with the rapidly changing situation, the Party convened a National Conference (August 13-15, 1945) in Tan Trao (Tuyen Quang), recognizing that the time was right and deciding to launch a general uprising to seize power throughout the country before the Allied forces arrived. The conference decided to establish a National Uprising Committee to provide timely and unified direction for the uprising movement in all localities.

On August 16, 1945, the National Congress convened in Tan Trao, adopting the "Ten Major Policies of the Viet Minh"; approving the "Order for General Uprising"; defining the national flag and national anthem; and establishing the Central National Liberation Committee, the Provisional Government, chaired by Comrade Ho Chi Minh. (Photo: Tan Trao Communal House, Son Duong District (Tuyen Quang Province), where the National Congress convened by the Viet Minh took place on August 16, 1945. Photo: VNA)

Shortly thereafter, the National Congress also convened in Tan Trao (August 16, 1945), comprising delegates from the three regions (Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam) representing various sectors, organizations, and ethnic groups, embodying the will and aspirations of the entire nation. The Congress unanimously approved the decision for a general uprising, elected the Vietnam National Liberation Committee (Provisional Government) headed by President Ho Chi Minh, and adopted several important policies of the Viet Minh Front.

Responding to the call for a general uprising, the people of the entire country, with fervent enthusiasm, rose up simultaneously to seize power. On August 19, 1945, the general uprising was victorious in Hanoi. On August 23, Thua Thien - Hue seized power. On August 25, the people of Saigon - Gia Dinh seized power... The earth-shattering power of millions of people created an overwhelming advantage, dealing a decisive blow to all the central organs of the puppet government, paralyzing all resistance from hostile forces, leaving them no time to react.

The August Revolution's general uprising to seize power was a resounding success throughout the country on August 28, 1945. On August 30, 1945, Bao Dai, the last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, abdicated, handing over the golden seal and jeweled sword to the Viet Minh representative. For the first time in Vietnamese history, the government of the entire country belonged to the people.

On September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, before hundreds of thousands of compatriots, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the Provisional Revolutionary Government, read the "Declaration of Independence," giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam – the first workers' and peasants' state in Southeast Asia. In that sacred and momentous moment, he reaffirmed the strength of national unity as the fundamental factor in protecting the great revolutionary achievements just gained: "Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence, and in fact has become a free and independent nation. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to dedicate all their spirit and strength, lives and property to safeguard that right to freedom and independence."

People in Saigon responded to the call for a general uprising issued by the Central Committee of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh. Photo: VNA

The August Revolution of 1945 truly symbolizes the strength of national unity. This strength stems first and foremost from the fervent patriotism of every Vietnamese citizen, nurtured and passed down through thousands of years of history, and further amplified and highly developed by the scientific, correct, and creative revolutionary line of the Party.

Building upon the great victories just achieved, the Party promptly drew valuable lessons, including the lesson of harnessing the strength of national unity. Specifically, this included: correctly assessing and organizing the forces of revolutionary classes, with the worker-peasant alliance as the foundation. Based on this, it was crucial to awaken national spirit in all strata of the population, unite all patriotic and progressive forces in a broad national united front, effectively divide and isolate the enemy, and seize opportunities to defeat them. The Party refined and creatively applied these lessons to subsequent stages of the revolution.

Nearly 80 years have passed, yet the August Revolution of 1945 retains its full historical significance and value, serving as a source of pride that inspires the entire Party, army, and people to continue upholding the tradition of great unity, overcoming all difficulties, and successfully implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party, for the goal of "a prosperous people, a strong nation, democracy, fairness, and civilization."