From the Soviet Nghệ Tĩnh uprising to the triumphant August anthem of history.
“Although the French imperialists suppressed the movement in a sea of blood, the Nghe Tinh Soviet demonstrated the heroic spirit and revolutionary capacity of the Vietnamese working people. Though the movement failed, it forged the forces for the later victorious August Revolution,” President Ho Chi Minh’s assessment illuminated the historical significance of the 1930-1931 uprising for the historic August Revolution. This was even more clearly demonstrated in Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
In his work "Illuminating the Revolutionary Spirit of the Nghe Tinh Soviet," Colonel, Master of Science Ngo Dinh Phiếm affirmed thatNghe Tinh SovietThis was the first rehearsal of the Party and the revolutionary masses in preparation for the August 1945 General Uprising, with four great historical significances.
Firstly, it affirmed the correctness of the revolutionary line set forth by our Party, initiating a revolutionary phase that followed a creative path based on the scientific theory of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought. Secondly, it formed a worker-peasant alliance and harnessed the strength of solidarity between the working class and peasants in the revolutionary struggle. Thirdly, it served as the first rehearsal for the later August 1945 General Uprising.
Furthermore, this movement was highly regarded within the international communist and workers' movement. Therefore, the Communist International recognized the Indochinese Communist Party as an independent branch directly under the Communist International. In particular, the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement left valuable lessons on ideological work, building a worker-peasant alliance, a national united front, and organizing and leading mass struggles.
According to the work "Nghe Tinh Soviet of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee," the revolutionary fighters of the 1930-1931 period became the active core of the 1936-1939 and 1939-1945 movements.
The Nghe Tinh Soviet alone had a massive contingent of cadres and masses: 183 Party branches with 2,011 Party members, 48,484 members of peasant associations, 8,648 women's liberation groups...
From February 1930, the entire Party had only 500 members. By October 1930, the number of members had increased to 1,600, and by May 1931, it had reached 2,400. Of these, the Nghe An Party Committee had 907 members, and the Ha Tinh Party Committee had 376. (Thus, the number of members in the Nghe An and Ha Tinh Party Committees accounted for 53.5% of the total number of Party members nationwide).
Drawing on the experience of the Nghe Tinh Soviet, in subsequent historical periods, our Party paid great attention to the establishment of a national united front, especially the Viet Minh Front, which highly promoted the national element, creating a tremendous driving force that led to the success of the August Revolution of 1945.
The system of important Party documents still preserved at the Soviet-Nghe Tinh Museum shows that,Nghe Tinh SovietThis movement affirmed in practice the leadership and leadership capacity of the working class and its vanguard party. At the same time, it was the first general rehearsal of the national democratic revolution in Vietnam. It is called a general rehearsal because through this movement, a series of fundamental issues concerning the strategic direction and revolutionary methods were tested and provided valuable experience for the subsequent revolutionary process, especially in the August Revolution of 1945.
From a revolutionary force forged through hardships, trials, and valuable lessons, our Party applied, supplemented, and developed the revolutionary line for national liberation set forth by the Party in 1930, contributing to the victory of the August Revolution in 1945.
In the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh, they seized the opportune moment when"The Japanese government has surrendered unconditionally."The Japanese fascists surrendered unconditionally to the Allies on August 13, 1945 (the official news was broadcast by Allied radio stations on August 15, 1945).,The Nghe An - Tinh Province Uprising Committee issued the order for the uprising and distributed leaflets throughout the region calling for:“All compatriots, unite under the red flag with a yellow star of the Viet Minh, lead the overthrow of the traitorous Vietnamese government, establish a revolutionary people's government, and be ready to confront all reactionary forces…”(Document archived at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee Office).
The Viet Minh's orders for insurrection and leaflets in Nghe Tinh breathed new life into the mass movement. The atmosphere of insurrection was fervent and surging. Throughout the localities, insurrection committees and provisional revolutionary people's committees were rapidly established. Leaflets and banners were distributed.,Slogans appeared everywhere. The bright red flag with a yellow star fluttered atop village communal houses and on tall trees. Numerous rallies, speeches, demonstrations, marches, and protests erupted continuously, creating a revolutionary momentum.
According to documents in the work "The August Revolution in the Soviet Homeland" published on the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee's electronic portal, due to the specific circumstances, the uprising to seize power in Nghe An was divided into three regions. Specifically, inVinh – Ben ThuyBecause the puppet government and Japanese army were concentrated in certain areas, the uprising could not be carried out as quickly as in the rural areas. After some localities had seized power, and the Japanese and puppet troops were huddled in their barracks and offices, on August 19, 1945, the Nghe Tinh Uprising Committee met to discuss the plan for the uprising in Vinh.
On the morning of August 21, 1945, tens of thousands of people from Vinh city and its suburbs, from all walks of life, armed with sticks and spears, marched in a massive demonstration along the streets, waving red flags with yellow stars. Faced with the overwhelming revolutionary momentum, the Japanese army had to accept all the demands of the people. At exactly 12 noon on August 21, 1945, the masses surrounded the Nghe An Provincial Governor's Residence, forcing Governor Dang Huong to declare his surrender to the revolution.
In the lowland and midland districts, uprisings spread widely. Following the successful uprising in Quynh Luu district on August 18, 1945, the people of other districts successively seized power: Dien Chau on August 21, 1945; Nghia Dan on August 22, 1945; Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong, and Anh Son on August 23, 1945; and Nghi Loc and Yen Thanh on August 25, 1945. A notable feature of these uprisings in the lowland and midland regions was their dynamic and unforced nature. In Dien Chau, the uprising was successful in almost all villages and communes before seizing power in the district capital. In Quynh Luu, Hung Nguyen, and Nam Dan, power was seized in some villages before seizing power in the district capital. Conversely, in Thanh Chuong, Yen Thanh, Anh Son, and Nghi Loc districts, power was seized in the district capital before moving on to seize power in the villages and communes.
In the highlands and mountainous regions, the districts of Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, and Quy Chau had unique characteristics, resulting in different forms of uprising compared to other areas. Because the masses in these localities were not yet organized and mobilized, and the old government apparatus still held considerable power, the Viet Minh employed a more flexible approach to avoid resistance from the upper classes and to gain the support of the ethnic minority people. They primarily focused on persuading officials, district chiefs, and local leaders. Only Mon Son commune (Con Cuong) – a revolutionary base from the 1930-1931 period – maintained contact with Anh Son district and successfully seized power on August 23, 1945, earlier than the district capital. In the districts of Vinh Hoa, Tuong Duong, and Con Cuong, the reorganization of the government was carried out in the form of a meeting between Viet Minh representatives and officials and village chiefs on August 26, 1945.
Viet Minh delegates rose up to declare the abolition of the old government and the establishment of a new one. District and prefectural chiefs who had pledged allegiance to the revolution were retained as advisors to the government, while officials who lacked popular support were replaced by Viet Minh cadres. In Quy Chau Prefecture, we formally declared the transition from the old government to the new one (a name change), while most villages and hamlets retained their existing local administration, awaiting the establishment of a new government once a revolutionary mass base was built.
The August 1945 uprising to seize power throughout the vast province of Nghe An achieved a resounding victory within nine days.
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In Ha Tinh, according to documents from the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum, after receiving the order for the uprising from the inter-provincial Viet Minh, preparations were carried out with great urgency. District Uprising Committees were established and met to plan the seizure of power in their respective districts. Propaganda teams worked actively. Rallies and demonstrations attracted tens of thousands of participants. Villages and hamlets resounded with the sounds of horns, gongs, and drums. On the morning of August 18, 1945, the uprising to seize power in the provincial capital of Ha Tinh achieved a swift victory, and the provisional revolutionary government of Ha Tinh province was established amidst the overwhelming joy of the people. By August 21, 1945, the successful uprising to seize power in Huong Khe district brought the uprising to a complete end throughout Ha Tinh province. Thus, the August 1945 general uprising to seize power in Ha Tinh province took place swiftly and achieved victory in just 5 days (from August 16 to August 21, 1945), with all power falling into the hands of the people.
These victories are the result of a long, arduous, and complex struggle involving all strata of the people, since the French colonialists first set foot on Nghe Tinh soil. They are also the inevitable outcome of the bloody battles fought by the Party committees and people of the two provinces during the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement of 1930-1931.
Simultaneously, it was the result of national unity for the supreme interests of the nation. When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arose, the Viet Minh in the Nghe An - Thinh Hoa provinces, with its core being veteran communist party members, correctly and flexibly applied the Viet Minh Front's policies to local circumstances with great creativity. The Viet Minh in the provinces organized and rallied all strata of the people, divided the enemy ranks, prevented potential resistance from the Japanese army and their collaborators, and used appropriate forms and methods depending on the circumstances of each locality.
The victory of the uprising to seize power in Nghe An and Ha Tinh made a worthy contribution to the overall victory of the entire country, shattering the shackles of slavery imposed by the fascist, colonial, and feudal regimes in our country; opening a new era in the history of the Vietnamese nation. And to achieve that brilliant victory, we can see even more clearly the immense significance of the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement to the General Uprising to seize power in the historic August of 1945.
