Democracy - The fundamental and unique value of the August 1945 Revolution.

1. The issue of democracy in the Vietnamese Revolution during the period 1930-1945

The fundamental problem of every social revolution is to dismantle the old government apparatus, overthrow the old ruling class, and establish a new state, ruled by a new class, in order to build a more progressive new social system.

A bourgeois revolution is a revolution led by the bourgeoisie, with the goal and task of overthrowing the feudal monarchy and establishing a bourgeois democratic state ruled by the bourgeoisie to build a capitalist system. This is a typical bourgeois revolution.

The bourgeois democratic revolution (new-style bourgeois revolution), or the national liberation revolution along the proletarian revolutionary path, is a people's national democratic revolution led by the proletariat, a continuous revolution with a "dual" purpose: saving the country and saving the people. This revolution has the task of fighting imperialism and gaining national independence, while also fighting feudalism, abolishing the monarchical regime ruled by the feudal class, and establishing a people's democratic regime led by the working class to advance towards socialism.

Nguyen Ai Quoc's purpose in going abroad in 1911 wasTo find a way to save the country and its people.That is, finding a path that satisfies two goals: liberating the nation from foreign domination and saving the people from oppression and exploitation. Nguyen Ai Quoc studied many great revolutions around the world, such as the American Revolution and the French Revolution, and concluded that those revolutions "Not yet arrived"Because the people were still oppressed and exploited afterwards, they wanted to make another revolution." He believed that only the Russian Revolution led by VI Lenin and the Bolshevik Party was a genuine revolution, a "revolution."arrive" because afterwards it had "Give power to the majority, not to a select few."That means the revolution brought the workers and peasants of Russia to power."

With this understanding and to achieve the "dual" goal of saving the nation alongside saving the people, Nguyen Ai Quoc decided to launch a national liberation struggle along the path of proletarian revolution, like the Russian Revolution. He did everything to propagate and awaken the nation, guiding the national and democratic movements in our country along the path of proletarian revolution led by the Communist Party.

InBrief Political ProgramandBrief Strategyadopted by the Communist Party of Vietnam at the Party's founding conference (February 1930) and inPolitical ThesisAccording to the Party's directives (October 1930), the Party advocated "overthrowing French imperialism and feudalism," "establishing a worker-peasant-soldier government," and "carrying out a bourgeois democratic revolution and an agrarian revolution to advance towards a communist society."[2].

The struggle for national liberation (in the narrow sense)A social revolution cannot be called one without a change in the ruling class.Those were merely uprisings against foreign invaders, such as the Lam Son Uprising (15th century) and the Tay Son Uprising (18th century). A national liberation struggle that aims both to achieve national independence and to change the ruling class from feudal landlords to the rule of the working class and the working people is called a social revolution.Therefore, the Vietnamese national liberation struggle under the leadership of the Communist Party is considered a national liberation revolution (social revolution).

Revolution is about creativity. In leading the revolution, the Party has always remained steadfast in its defined goals, striving to carry out the national democratic revolution to advance towards socialism, with highly flexible and creative solutions and guidance.

Following the revolutionary upsurge of 1930-1931, culminating in the Nghe-Tinh Soviet which suffered heavy losses (1932-1935), the Party sought to revive the movement. When favorable conditions arose, it adjusted and shifted the direction of the Vietnamese revolution, temporarily setting aside the slogans of national independence and land for the tiller, and launching a vibrant democratic movement (1936-1939), thus advancing the Vietnamese revolution. Although not directly fighting to implement the slogans of national independence and land for the tiller, the 1936-1939 democratic movement was still part of the national democratic people's revolutionary strategy. The new form of state chosen by the Party to replace the worker-peasant-soldier state was a democratic republic (the Democratic Republic of Indochina).

From late 1939, due to the outbreak of World War II and its strong impact on Indochina, the Party gradually shifted the revolution to a new phase, raising the goal of national liberation, preparing the conditions to seize power for the people, and establishing a democratic republic. In the resolution of the Central Committee meeting in May 1941 at Pac Bo, Cao Bang, there was a passage stating: "The current Indochinese revolution is not a bourgeois democratic revolution, a revolution that must solve two problems: anti-imperialism and agrarianism, but a revolution that only solves one urgent problem: 'national liberation'. Therefore, 'the Indochinese revolution in the current stage is a national liberation revolution'."^[3].

While resolutely upholding the goals and tasks of national liberation, the Resolution noted, to avoid misunderstanding among cadres and Party members regarding the relationship between strategic goals and urgent goals, between long-term tasks and current tasks of the bourgeois democratic revolution: "This does not mean that our Party is eliminating the issue of class struggle in the Indochinese revolution. No! The issue of class struggle will always exist."^[4]). That "The Indochinese proletariat has not abandoned its agrarian duties, nor has it taken a step backward, but merely taken a shorter step so that it may have the strength to take a longer step."^[5].

This means the Conference advocated changing the slogan of the struggle to achieve immediate goals in the new circumstances, advocating for gradual victories leading to complete victory for the national democratic revolution. The goal of "Land to the Tiller" was not abandoned, but partially pursued, which involved "confiscating land from imperialists and traitors and distributing it to the peasants."

It is important to note that the issue of democracy is not just about land ownership, and certainly should not be equated with it. The issue of democracy is much broader, deeper, and more long-lasting than the issue of land ownership, encompassing freedom of election, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of movement, freedom of protest, freedom of religion, gender equality, etc. – that is, issues of human rights and civil rights, everything that is opposed to an autocratic monarchy. Accordingly, let's temporarily set aside part of the slogan "Land to the tiller"It doesn't necessarily mean abandoning the democratic goals or giving up on the democratic revolution."

Thus, it can be understood that the content of the Resolution of the Eighth Central Committee Conference (May 1941) did not contradict the strategic line of the Party and Nguyen Ai Quoc before, but was merely a policy with a "immediate”, for the period “Present”, “not to eliminate class struggle"...not abandoning the goal of democracy, but merely "Take a small step to gain the strength to take a longer step."This change essentially did not alter the revolutionary ideals of the Party and Ho Chi Minh, but only changed the methods and steps taken during that period."currently", "in the immediate future".The strategic goal and task remained to carry out the national democratic revolution, overthrow imperialism and feudalism, seize power for the people, and build a democratic republic.

2. Democracy - The fundamental and unique value of the August Revolution

The truth is concrete. Upon hearing the news that Japan had been defeated by the Allies and that the Japanese army in Indochina was paralyzed, the Tran Trong Kim government was in extreme panic. With initiative and wisdom, the Party and Ho Chi Minh immediately organized...National Cadre Conference of the Party and the National CongressIn Tan Trao (Tuyen Quang), the conferences decided to launch a general uprising to seize power throughout the country with the principle of "concentration, unity, and timeliness." Following the policy of the Party and the Viet Minh Front, the entire nation rose up to gain independence and seize power. On August 19, 1945, the uprising was victorious in Hanoi; on August 23, victory in Hue; and on August 25, victory in Saigon. On August 30, Emperor Bao Dai abdicated, officially ending the monarchy in Vietnam. On September 2, 1945, National Day was celebrated in Hanoi.Government of the Democratic Republic of VietnamPresented to the nation, the democratic republican political system was established.

The practical experience of the August 1945 Revolution demonstrated that it not only achieved national independence for Vietnam but also abolished the monarchy and established a democratic republic. The declaration of independence, however, was the political system that was re-established.democratic republic, people's democracy, and not a monarchy as was the case at the end of previous uprisings against foreign invaders in Vietnamese history.

A group of protesters on August 19, 1945, in front of the Northern Government Palace, Hanoi.

Emphasizing the Party and Ho Chi Minh's policy of upholding the goal of national liberation during the 1939-1945 period, and highlighting the value of national independence achieved in the August 1945 Revolution, is undeniably correct. However, absolutizing it, failing to adequately emphasize the democratic values ​​and historical significance of overthrowing the Nguyen dynasty's monarchy and establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, only clarifies and highlights a part of the Party's line and a part of the victory of the August Revolution. This fails to distinguish the qualitative differences between the August 1945 uprising and other uprisings in Vietnamese history.

The overthrow of the feudal monarchy and the establishment of a democratic republic in the August 1945 general uprising was not a secondary issue, a minor objective, or a convenient side task, but a strategic goal of the Vietnamese revolution, clearly defined in Nguyen Ai Quoc's decision to liberate the nation along the path of proletarian revolution, in the Party's revolutionary programs of 1930, and also in the Resolution of the Eighth Central Committee Conference of the Party in May 1941.

Moreover, the fundamental issue of any social revolution is the issue of state power. The August 1945 General Uprising, if it had merely driven out imperialism, like previous uprisings and resistance movements against foreign invaders in Vietnamese history, would not have been a revolution. It is considered a revolution because it abolished the feudal Nguyen Dynasty and established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, led by the working class through its political party, the Communist Party.

In Tan Trao, at the National Conference of the Party (August 13, 1945) and the National Congress (August 16, 1945), the Party and Ho Chi Minh advocated the establishment of a provisional government called...Vietnam National Liberation Committee, but when we returned to Hanoi, it changed toGovernment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. InDeclaration of IndependenceReading at Ba Dinh Square on the afternoon of September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh emphasized two fundamental issues: freedom and independence, by referring to two immortal values ​​in two declarations:Declaration of Independenceof the American Revolution andUniversal Declaration of Human RightsIn the French Revolution, the two declarations addressed two major issues: national independence and human rights, democracy, and freedom. This was a keen and swift strategic adjustment by the Party and Ho Chi Minh, which qualitatively transformed the General Uprising into a social revolution in its full sense.

President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence at Ba Dinh Square on September 2, 1945.

Immediately after National Day, the Party, the State, and Ho Chi Minh began leading, directing, and implementing a series of enormous and urgent tasks to build the democratic republic of Vietnam. These included completely dismantling the old government apparatus; organizing general elections for the National Assembly and people's councils at all levels; promulgating a people's democratic constitution; launching a famine relief and literacy campaign to build a new life; and advocating friendly foreign relations with all countries in the world… The Party and Ho Chi Minh believed that the goal of the national liberation revolution, following the proletarian revolution, was to save both the country and the people, to resolutely achieve independence for freedom, and freedom for happiness.The happiness of the people is the ultimate goal of the Vietnamese revolution.led by the Communist Party. Ho Chi Minh affirmed:Nothing is more precious than Independence and Freedom.But it was also He who declared: "If a country is independent but its people do not enjoy happiness and freedom, then independence is meaningless."[6].

National liberation and independence for Vietnam was a monumental task, a remarkable and great victory of the August Revolution. But ultimately, national liberation is something our nation has always been able to achieve. However, overthrowing the monarchy, seizing power for the people, establishing a democratic republic, and elevating the working people from slavery to masters of the country and society—withDemocratic Republic of VietnamThe most progressive political system in Southeast Asia at that time was the Communist Party and Ho Chi Minh, and only the August Revolution of 1945b could achieve it.

That is the unique greatness of the August Revolution of 1945, the undeniable historical achievement of the Communist Party and Ho Chi Minh. Accordingly, nationalism is a common, universal value, while democracy is the fundamental, unique value of the August Revolution of 1945 when placed within the long history of Vietnam and in the regional and global context at that time.

With such values, especially its unique democratic values, the August Revolution of 1945 in Vietnam, with its Declaration of Independence and the establishment of the Democratic Republic, proved that the Communist Party of Vietnam had made immense contributions not only to the struggle for national independence but also to the establishment of a democratic republic for the Vietnamese people. It also demonstrated that Ho Chi Minh was not only a national liberation hero but also an outstanding democrat and a great cultural figure of Vietnam and the world.

This also signifies that the achievements of the August 1945 general uprising were not only a victory for the national movement but also the result of the democratic movement and the democratic revolution. It also affirms that the Party and Ho Chi Minh not only raised the banner of national liberation but also...Raise high the banner of freedom and democracyduring the struggle for independence and even during the August Revolution that seized power in 1945.

We honor all the inherent values ​​of the August 1945 Revolution, and in the current revolutionary period, it is especially important to emphasize the fundamental, unique values:humanism, human rights, humanism, democracy, striving to realize the noble ideal: building the Vietnamese nation.independence, freedom, happinessThis is the most accurate understanding and the most practical action to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution and Vietnam's National Day (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2015).