PANO – The success of the August Revolution in 1945 was made possible thanks to the fact that the Party and President Ho Chi Minh successfully implemented the guidelines of national unity, uniting all patriotic forces regardless of their religions, political beliefs, and social strata. People from all walks of life came together and drove away the French colonialists and Japanese fascists, overthrew the colonial regime, and regained power bringing independence to the nation.
The success of the August Revolution represents the success of the great national unity in seizing the opportunity, liberating the nation from invaders and emancipating social classes and society. For all that, some still intentionally distort the nature and significance of this historical and historic event.

Without proper understanding of the fact that the whole nation gathered in the great national unity under the leadership of the Party, some still believe that the revolution happened due to the “sudden flaring-up” reaction of the people after being oppressed for a long time. When analyzing the roles of social strata in the August Revolution in 1945, they deem that the peasantry of Vietnam had been well aware of their “heavenly role” before the revolution. From that short-sighted view, some people devise the argument that the peasantry played the decisive role in the success of the revolution.

The August Revolution in 1945 symbolizes the spirit of the great national unity.

That argument aims to deny the historic significance of the August Revolution in 1945 and overlooks the strength of the great national unity under the leadership of the Party. They are completely driving the wrong way! Their illogical and unscientific way of reasoning and their incorrect argument are not capable of fooling peace-loving people around the world, nor the Vietnamese people.

Reality has proven that, right in its early days, the Communist Party of Vietnam identified its mission very clearly: to drive away the feudalists, colonialists, and imperialists, bringing power to the people and making them the real masters of the country. It is that very revolutionary mission that connected and united people of the whole nation together. And the Party was always consistent with that mission and it remained central to the revolution. It is undeniable that from 1930 to 1945, the Viet Minh and the Party led by Ho Chi Minh closely studied the world and domestic situations so as to issue suitable policies and guidelines to lead the whole nation in the uprising, bringing power to the people. Particularly, in response to the swift change in situation both at home and in the world, in May 1941 the Central Party Committee summoned a plenary meeting chaired by President Ho Chi Minh to decide the change in strategy. The resolution of the plenum states, “In this very moment, the interests of individuals, groups, or social strata must be second to the vital existence of the nation, which is a matter of life and death. If we cannot solve the problems of national liberation, independence and freedom for the people, not only will the nation have to live under the foreign yoke forever, but individuals and social groups will also fail to claim their rights.”

To fulfill that mission, it was necessary to gather and unite all forces and social strata into a single national united front. To make it happen, on May 19th 1941 the Viet Minh Front (League for the Independence of Vietnam) was born. In its statement, the Viet Minh clearly pointed out that, “Viet Minh wishes to unite all patriotic fellows and organizations, regardless of wealth, age, gender, religion and political inclination to jointly liberate the nation.” With the right policies, after only a short time, the Viet Minh Front promoted the community spirit while arousing patriotism and the will to fight courageously and fearlessly for the national independence amongst all social groups, contributing to the success of the revolution.

Moreover, great unity has become a fine tradition of the Vietnamese people throughout thousands of years of national construction and defence. “Families cannot be secure when the country is lost.” Each and every Vietnamese person is always deeply aware of that fact. Also throughout the long history of the country, the people of Vietnam have also understood one fact: only by consistently building and consolidating the great national unity could the country promote its inner power to safeguard and build the nation into a country of peace, prosperity, and happiness. It is on that very basis that the people of Vietnam followed the Party to gain national independence and freedom, becoming the real masters of the country and winning the right to decide their own future.

It can be said that the August Revolution in 1945 symbolizes the spirit of the great national unity. Along with that fact, it should be acknowledged that the revolution broke out and became a success as a direct association of the leadership of the Viet Minh, the Party and President Ho Chi Minh. The great role of the masses, including the peasantry, in the revolution is undeniable. However, it must also be remembered that the uprising of the masses as one in general, and of the peasantry in particular, is not the “sudden flaring-up reaction” for “resentments”, but the awakened and organized uprising under the direction and leadership of the Viet Minh and the Party.

It can be concluded that the great national unity, with the central role of the Viet Minh Front, was the decisive factor that lead to the success of the August Revolution in 1945. The significance of the revolution is easily seen. Looking back over the last 70 years of history, we now have a better understanding of the greatest event of Vietnam in the 20th century and the values of independence, freedom, peace, and reunification. Some people, however, still devise their incorrect and short-sighted views to distort history and deny the values of the August Revolution, the great national unity, the role of the Viet Minh Front, the Party and President Ho Chi Minh. They are going the wrong way and we have the responsibility to resolutely refute their evil arguments.

Written by Kim Ngoc

Translated by Huu Duong