August Revolution 1945 - A brilliant golden page in the history of the nation

Nghe An Newspaper reporter had an interview with Master Nguyen Quoc Hong - Chairman of Nghe An Historical Science Association on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of August Revolution (August 19, 1945 - August 19, 2022).

PV: Can you tell us more about the historical significance of the August Revolution of 1945 for the Vietnamese people?

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hong:August RevolutionThe year 1945 is one of the golden pages in history; a great milestone, a qualitative leap on the path of development throughout the thousands of years of building and defending the country of the Vietnamese people. The victory of the August Revolution was the inevitable result of the long struggle of the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Photo: Archive

Great victory ofAugust Revolutionhas great significance for the Vietnamese people and humanity.The first,The August Revolution officially ended more than 80 years of French colonial rule, ended the existence of the nearly thousand-year-old autocratic monarchy, established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam - a state of the people, by the people, for the people; transformed our people from slaves to masters of the country, masters of their own destiny.

Monday,The victory of the August Revolution in 1945, on the one hand, contributed to defeating the remnants of feudalism, colonialism, and fascism in Vietnam. The victory of the August Revolution punctured an important link in the colonial system of imperialism, opening a period of irreparable decline and disintegration of the old colonialism, making a great contribution to the cause of national liberation in the world.

Tuesday,The August Revolution affirmed the leadership role of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Throughout the process of leading the revolution, the Communist Party of Vietnam was closely attached to the people, and received the people's support and absolute trust. The August Revolution of 1945 was a typical democratic national liberation revolution led by the Communist Party, which for the first time won victory in a colonial country.

Wednesday,The August Revolution marked a qualitative leap forward in the development of the Vietnamese nation, opening a new era in the nation's history, an era of independence and freedom towards socialism. The victory of the August Revolution created a profound revolutionary turning point in all fields.

Thursday,The August Revolution was the victory of Marxism-Leninism creatively applied to the specific circumstances of the Vietnamese revolution, and was the first successful experiment of Marxism-Leninism in a colonial country in Asia...

PV: What values ​​from the August Revolution in 1945 have been passed on and educated to today's and tomorrow's young generations?

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hong:Awareness of the profound significance of the August Revolution of 1945 for the young generation will contribute to bringing the fine traditions of our nation into life, into the practice of the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland today. When traditional values ​​have entered the hearts and minds of the young generation, it will inevitably be the spiritual strength, the endogenous motivation for them to confidently move forward, dedicating their strength and intelligence to the implementation of the consistent goal of national independence associated with socialism.

Master Nguyen Quoc Hong - Chairman of Nghe An Historical Science Association shared lessons learned from the August Revolution. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Educating the Vietnamese generations about the August Revolution is a great responsibility for history. The traditional, immortal values ​​of the August Revolution that previous generations have the responsibility to pass on to the younger generation - those who continue the tradition of "children of Lac, grandchildren of Hong" - are: The steadfastness in the goal and ideal of national independence associated with socialism - This is the consistent goal of the Vietnamese revolution, in which the August Revolution of 1945 is considered the starting point of a new revolutionary period fighting for national independence associated with socialism.

Educating the younger generation about the tradition of ardent patriotism, indomitable spirit, sense of independence and self-reliance of the nation. The patriotism of the Vietnamese people was affirmed by President Ho Chi Minh: “Our people have a passionate love for the country. That is a precious tradition of ours. From ancient times to the present, every time the Fatherland is invaded, that spirit is stirred up, it forms an extremely strong and huge wave, it overcomes all dangers and difficulties, it drowns all traitors and invaders”.

Educating the younger generation about the tradition of national solidarity and creative labor of the Vietnamese people. The August Revolution of 1945 demonstrated the values ​​of national solidarity, overcoming difficulties, diligence, creativity, and unity to rise up and fight for victory. During the August Revolution, at the most difficult time, the entire Vietnamese people promoted the spirit of solidarity, rose up together to revolt and seize power throughout the country.

Educating the young generation on the spirit of humanity, humanitarianism, and peace of the Vietnamese people. The flexible and creative application of revolutionary methods in the August Revolution of 1945 deeply reflects the humane nature of the Vietnamese people. This is a great lesson for today's young generation, especially in the process of international integration, which requires harmonious behavior and resolution of relations with other countries and the international community.

PV: Can you tell us what lessons from the August Revolution can be applied in the current process of industrialization, modernization and Industry 4.0?

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hong:The victory of the August Revolution in 1945 left the Party and people of Vietnam with many valuable lessons, enriching the theoretical system of the Vietnamese revolution, contributing to the cause of building and firmly defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland. Today, in the context of the country's strong efforts to promote the process of industrialization, modernization, and 4.0 technology, the lessons from the August Revolution in 1945 still hold true.

Issuing the order for the General Uprising in 1945. Photo archive

First of all, it is a lesson in solidarity. As we know, the Party has built a great national solidarity bloc, motivating the entire people to successfully launch a general uprising. At present, the spirit of great solidarity needs to continue to be promoted. To achieve that, the top and bottom must be of one mind and unify their views to form a solid bloc under the leadership of the Party and the State. The strength of great solidarity has been the "treasure" that helped us stand firm through the struggles to protect the Fatherland, and now it will help the nation and the country have more strength to face the challenges of the epidemic, economic difficulties, etc. The connection, trust, and unanimity between the Party and the people are extremely important and necessary. Solidarity also extends to international relations. That is to seek the help of friendly countries, linked to the reality of Vietnam.

That is a lesson about choosing the right time. In this 4.0 revolution, if we do not want to miss the beat, we must choose the right time to take timely action. However, we must not be hasty, but must gather forces to prepare and determine the basis for implementation. That is the preparation of human factors, potential, material facilities, especially promoting intellectual potential. In this period of development, many opportunities are opening up, we do not ignore them but also do not wait for anyone, from any country or nation. In order not to miss the opportunity, we need to strengthen integration, cooperation, promote competitive advantages, clearly understand the position of the country to apply and assert ourselves to the whole world.

The lesson from the correct leadership of the Party is the leading factor determining victory. From this lesson, we will clearly see that our Party also needs to continue to constantly train and build itself to be clean and strong; from there, continue to lead the country to overcome difficulties and fulfill the set goals. In the current period, the cadre team, especially key cadres and leaders must always have a heart, be worthy of their position and say what they do; frankly admit and resolutely correct mistakes and shortcomings for the benefit of the people.

PV: Obviously, to be successful, historical lessons are very important. What do you think about teaching and learning historical knowledge of the nation to nurture the generations of Vietnamese youth today and tomorrow?

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hong:In my personal opinion, not only in Vietnam, but in any country, understanding the history of the nation is extremely important and necessary. No matter where we are born, we must understand our history and origin, so learning history is almost the most important factor in shaping personality. Learning history not only helps each individual know the origin of their nation and country, but also helps to train human character and cultivate morality.

The Team Ceremony Competition in Yen Thanh district on the occasion of the annual August Revolution anniversary. Photo: Anh Tuan

In order for history to become a source of strength for the future, historical knowledge must be taught and learned correctly. First of all, history is the truth, the things put into books for teaching must be the truth about what the nation and country have experienced. Next, there is the progressive method in teaching. We need to teach with more vivid and intuitive methods such as field trips, extracurricular activities, and discussions. This will help the generation's thinking develop more comprehensively.

Finally, in teaching, we need to include the most essential content, avoiding overloading the amount of knowledge. For example, with the August Revolution in 1945, we need to focus on 3 contents, which are the context of preparation for the revolution; summary of important developments and lessons learned... Focused content will help the younger generation understand, absorb and remember more easily.

PV: Thank you!