The role of the Party and national solidarity in the August Revolution and National Day September 2

On the occasion of our 76th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2, hostile forces are spreading old stories that the August Revolution of 1945 broke out "by chance"; its success was "luck" and the Indochinese Communist Party (now the Communist Party of Vietnam) was incompetent... In fact, those arguments have no other intention than to deny the leadership role of our Party and leader Ho Chi Minh.

The great role of the Party

Due to their dark motives and purposes, they deliberately “failed to perceive” the inevitability of the relationship between the national and class issues. They deliberately failed to see clearly the leadership and revolutionary direction role of the Indochinese Communist Party and the great sacrifices of the Vietnamese people.

We have sufficient grounds to affirm that the August Revolution of 1945 broke out and succeeded as a historical inevitability. The reasons for the August Revolution breaking out and succeeding, leading to the National Day on September 2, 1945, apart from objective factors such as: developments in the world and region favorable to us; support from international friends... the correct and wise leadership role of the Party and leader Ho Chi Minh was the most decisive factor. This was clearly demonstrated in determining revolutionary policies and directions; uniting and gathering the masses to create a combined strength; carefully preparing in all aspects for the General Uprising; accurately predicting and promptly seizing the opportunity to launch the General Uprising to seize power.

August Revolution - a great event in the history of the Vietnamese nation.

Right from its founding, in the first Platform, our Party determined Vietnam's path as "carrying out bourgeois democratic revolution and land revolution to move towards a communist society" (1). From the main ideas and directions in the first Platform (February 1930), our Party and leader Ho Chi Minh closely followed the developments of the situation, continuously supplementing and developing. An undeniable fact is that from 1930 to 1945, under the leadership of the Party, our People went through 15 years of revolutionary struggle full of difficulties, hardships and sacrifices. The revolutionary movement sometimes fell into recession due to white terror and brutal repression.

However, with correct and appropriate revolutionary policies, guidelines and solutions, our Party led the entire people to unite into a unified bloc to rise up and fight. It is necessary to affirm that the three revolutionary high tides under the Party's leadership from 1930 to 1945 were three general rehearsals to prepare for the August Revolution later. That reality further strengthens the basis to affirm that this was truly an organized and led revolution, not "random" or just a simple "uprising" as distorted by hostile and reactionary forces.

In particular, at the 8th Central Conference (May 1941), our Party advocated raising the flag of national liberation, placing the interests of the nation and people above the interests of the sections and classes. In order to gather and unite the masses and develop political forces, our Party decided to establish the Viet Minh Front (abbreviated as Viet Minh). The policy and path of the revolution determined by our Party was to move from partial uprisings to a general uprising to seize power throughout the country.

Khuoi Nam hut, Pac Bo, Truong Ha commune (Ha Quang) - where the 8th Central Party Conference took place, from May 10 to 19, 1941, chaired by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc. Photo: Dang Tuan.

Faced with the rapid changes in the world situation, our Party pays special attention to developing the revolutionary situation, creating opportunities and seizing them. The policies and guidelines determined at the 8th Central Conference continued to be developed and supplemented by our Party to suit the actual situation of the revolution. Directives and decisions aimed at strengthening revolutionary leadership were continuously issued, clearly outlining the direction of the masses' struggle to build political forces, develop armed forces, and build revolutionary bases to actively prepare for the success of the August Revolution in 1945.

Prepare forces

Our Party clearly identified that building political forces is the fundamental and decisive task of the Vietnamese revolution. Only when there is a strong political force can we lead the people to an armed uprising to seize power. The decision to establish the Viet Minh Front by the Party and leader Ho Chi Minh was a very correct and timely decision. Under the leadership of the Viet Minh Front, many organizations, unions, and patriotic solidarity forces were born and gathered in the great national solidarity bloc. The continuous development of the revolution has created great prestige, helping the Viet Minh Front gather a large mass force, and at the same time create political prestige against the imperialists, colonialists, and feudalists.

From the policy of organizing and leading the masses in an armed uprising to seize power on the basis of the established political force, our Party gradually built up revolutionary armed forces. In particular, on December 22, 1944, in Tran Hung Dao Forest (Cao Bang), the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army was officially born. The important task of the Team was to propagate and mobilize the people to rise up and build a political base, preparing for the General Uprising when the opportunity came. During this same period, throughout the country, many guerrilla teams were established, which later developed into National Salvation Army teams.

Armed forces in the August Revolution.

At the Northern Military Conference (April 1945), our Party decided to unify the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army and the National Salvation Army into the Vietnam Liberation Army. This was the core force for the liberation struggle to seize power in August 1945.

To ensure the safety and secrecy and protect the revolutionary forces, especially the armed forces, our Party paid special attention to building revolutionary bases (later developed into safe zones). Pac Bo - Cao Bang was the first revolutionary base to be built. Next, the Bac Son - Vo Nhai Revolutionary Base was established (February 1941). In early 1943, the Cao Bang - Bac Son Base was connected. Then the base was expanded to 6 provinces: Cao - Bac - Lang - Ha - Tuyen - Thai. In June 1945, our Party decided to establish the Viet Bac Liberated Zone and it became the revolutionary base of the whole country.

The rally to launch the uprising to seize power organized by the Viet Minh Front at the Hanoi Opera House on August 19, 1945. Photo: archive

The birth of revolutionary bases has made an important contribution to protecting revolutionary forces, protecting leading cadres, and at the same time creating conditions for the Party to grasp the situation in a timely manner to direct the revolution along with building armed forces, building the Party and training cadres to meet the development of the revolutionary movement. Revolutionary bases - safe zones are considered a creative, unique and strategic feature of our Party and leader Ho Chi Minh, because it has never existed in the world and in the history of national defense...

Quickly seize the opportunity

As predicted, in March 1945, when Japan staged a coup against France, the Party Central Committee issued the Directive "Japan-France fighting each other and our actions". Then, around mid-1945, the world situation changed very quickly in a direction favorable to the progressive forces. At that time, the direct enemy of the Vietnamese people, Japanese fascism, was defeated by the Soviet Red Army and allied forces...

The August Revolution opened a new era for the Vietnamese people. Illustrative photo

Realizing that the revolutionary opportunity was ripe, on the night of August 13, the Party Central Committee and the Viet Minh General Department established the National Uprising Committee to call for a general uprising. Immediately after its establishment, the Committee issued Military Order No. 1 ordering the general uprising. At the same time, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the National Liberation Committee, sent a letter to the people and soldiers nationwide calling for a general uprising to seize power... Thanks to the correct policies, guidelines, and timely decisions of the Party headed by leader Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese revolution has increasingly developed, continuously won victories, and achieved success.

Tourists visit Pac Po Relic Site - Cao Bang. Photo: VNA

The above-mentioned basic developments have clearly demonstrated the leadership role of the Viet Minh Front, our Party and leader Ho Chi Minh towards the country in general and in the August Revolution and National Day on September 2, 1945 in particular, which is extremely great. The August Revolution in 1945 and the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam - the first worker-peasant state in Southeast Asia was not a "coincidence", not a "luck" but was organized, led tightly and meticulously according to the correct leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. This is something that no force, no organization, no individual can distort, falsify and deny.

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(1) Communist Party of Vietnam, Party Documents, Complete Works, Volume 2, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2002, page 2