The scale and significance of the Russian October Revolution

(Baonghean.vn) - On November 7, 1917, the October Revolution, led by VI Lenin and the Russian Bolshevik Party, was successful. The victory of the October Revolution "opened a new era in the history of mankind, the era of transition from capitalism to socialism throughout the world."

The October Revolution of 1917 in Russia has gone down in human history as a great event with profound resonance and influence, shaking and overturning the world order. Affirming its immense significance and value, President Ho Chi Minh stated: “Like a dazzling sun, the October Revolution shone across the five continents, awakening millions of oppressed and exploited people on earth. In the history of mankind, there has never been a revolution with such great and profound significance.”

Bolshevik VI leader Lenin announced the establishment of the Russian Soviet government at the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets on November 7, 1917, at the Smolny Palace. Photo: VNA

The Ten-Day Revolution shook the world, breaking the weakest link in the chain of imperialism and marking an extremely important historical turning point. It was also the first time that the alliance of workers, peasants, and soldiers, under the leadership of the working class, rose up simultaneously to overthrow the Tsarist regime and establish the Soviet Russian State – the first workers' and peasants' state in the world.

For the first time in the world, power shifted from the hands of a minority of exploiters to the hands of the majority of exploited workers who rose to become masters. Unlike all other social revolutions in human history that merely aimed to replace one form of exploitation with another, the October Revolution contained a profoundly deep message: to eliminate all forms of class exploitation and national oppression, paving the way for the victory of national independence, democracy, and socialism throughout the world.

Dozens of artillery shells were thrown by Bolshevik fighters into the courtyard of the Winter Palace in Petrograd, in an attempt to overthrow the Provisional Government of Alexander Kerensky on November 7, 1917.

The victory of the Russian October Revolution was not only a powerful impetus encouraging colonial peoples to rise up and fight against the oppression and exploitation of the feudal and bourgeois classes, to save and liberate themselves, but also a strong driving force that propelled the national liberation movement, as well as the international communist and workers' movement, to develop and spread rapidly and strongly to Asia, Africa, and Latin America, causing the ruling class to tremble, forcing them to retreat, de-escalate, and change their policies.

Following the example of the October Revolution, oppressed nations around the world rose up to fight for national independence and chose the socialist path to build their countries. Real socialism, from its victory in one country, developed into a global system.

Young officers of the provisional government's army in the Winter Palace in Petrograd, on the eve of the October Revolution.

The success of the Russian October Revolution had a profound impact on world revolutions, including Vietnam. President Ho Chi Minh, the first Vietnamese patriot to embrace the light of the October Revolution, wrote: "The October Revolution and Marxism-Leninism are not only a miraculous 'handbook' and a compass for us, the Vietnamese revolutionaries and people, but also the sun that illuminates our path to ultimate victory."

From the mid-to-late 19th century, the French colonialists invaded our country. Our people repeatedly rose up to drive out the invaders, but were always brutally suppressed. The Vietnamese revolution was in a state of crisis regarding its direction and leadership class. After many years of wandering in search of a way to save the country, in July 1920, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh read "The First Draft of the Theses on the National and Colonial Questions by V.I. Lenin".

Bolshevik soldiers stand next to a small truck on November 7, 1917, in Petrograd.

On February 3, 1930, the Communist Party of Vietnam, founded and nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, was established. With its correct policies, the Communist Party of Vietnam led the entire Vietnamese nation to liberate itself from the yoke of fascist, colonial, and feudalist rule for nearly a century, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, and achieving victory in two great wars of resistance against French colonialism in 1954 and American imperialism in 1975.

For the Vietnamese revolution, the October Revolution was "the thunder heralding spring," a brilliant sun, "food and water." As he once affirmed: "Thanks to the French Communist Party and the Chinese Communist Party, Vietnamese revolutionaries have absorbed the vibrant influence of the October Revolution and Marxism-Leninism. This is like someone who is thirsty getting water, or someone who is hungry getting food."

Bolshevik soldiers, the first troops of the Soviet Red Army, and Triangle factory workers in Petrograd on November 7, 1917.

Speaking with profound gratitude about the influence of the Russian October Revolution on the Vietnamese revolution, President Ho Chi Minh said: “Drinking water, remember the source. The more we recall the humiliating days of losing our country, the more we remember every step of the revolutionary struggle full of sacrifices, hardships, and glorious victories, the more deeply the working class and people of Vietnam appreciate the immense contributions of Lenin and the October Revolution.” “The deep affection and gratitude of the Vietnamese people for the October Revolution, for the great Lenin… is immeasurably profound.”

The great and significant achievements of our country today are proof of the path that the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and the entire nation have unanimously chosen. This also serves as a basis for every Vietnamese person to more deeply understand the historical significance, meaning, and practical value of the October Revolution and of the great Lenin for the Vietnamese revolution in particular and the world in general.

Protesters in Moscow on November 7, 1917.

Nearly a century has passed since the victory of the Russian October Revolution, and humanity has witnessed countless ups and downs and complexities. However, the October Revolution remains one of the most significant events in modern world history. The ideals and path of the October Revolution continue to shine brightly, illuminating the struggle for self-liberation of the working class and the working people, and providing renewed vitality to the socialist movement.

Peace

(Synthetic)