Ho Chi Minh - Founder of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2010), ussh.edu.vn respectfully presents an article by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Dang Tri (Faculty of History) on President Ho Chi Minh as the founder of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

1. Ho Chi Minh's national democratic revolutionary ideology

The fundamental problem of every revolution is to dismantle the old government apparatus, overthrow the old ruling class, and establish a new state ruled by a new class.A bourgeois revolution is a revolution led by the bourgeoisie, whose basic goal and task is to overthrow the feudal monarchy and establish a bourgeois democratic state ruled by the bourgeoisie. This is a typical bourgeois revolution. A bourgeois democratic revolution (or a new type of bourgeois revolution) is a bourgeois revolution whose basic goal is to overthrow the monarchy and establish a democratic state, but led by the working class through its political party, the Communist Party. Once successful, this revolution, having overthrown the feudal monarchy, will not establish a bourgeois state or a capitalist system, but rather a democratic republic, building a people's democracy and advancing towards socialism. Vietnamese society after the colonial exploitation by French capitalists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a feudal colonial society with two modes of production coexisting, thus creating two fundamental contradictions. These are the contradictions of the feudal system, essentially the contradiction between the peasant class, which constitutes the vast majority of the nation, and the landlord class, represented by the Nguyen dynasty; and the contradictions of the capitalist colonial system, essentially the contradiction between the Vietnamese nation and the imperialists and their henchmen. The former contradiction is often called class contradiction, while the latter is often called national contradiction and is the primary contradiction. To progress, Vietnamese society must resolve these two fundamental contradictions, first and foremost the primary contradiction.This means that the revolution had to be carried out with two strategic tasks, addressing two strategic goals: expelling imperialism and liberating the nation, and overthrowing the monarchy and establishing a democratic regime.That revolution, in the new historical context of the era and of Vietnam in the early 20th century, targeted imperialist colonialists and feudal landlords as its puppets. The revolutionary forces were workers, peasants, petty bourgeoisie, national bourgeoisie, and small and medium-sized landowners. That revolution had to be led by a progressive class within the revolutionary forces, namely the working class. Combining these elements, it was a bourgeois democratic revolution, or a new type of bourgeois revolution, or a national democratic people's revolution, led by the working class. The national democratic people's revolution (or bourgeois democratic revolution, new type of bourgeois revolution) was an objective and inevitable revolution of Vietnamese society in the early 20th century. However, in the first few decades of the 20th century, no individual or organization understood and acted according to this objective requirement; therefore, the national democratic struggles at that time, although very heroic, ultimately ended in failure.Driven by a deep-seated desire for revenge and national debt, Ho Chi Minh hated both imperialism and feudalism. His purpose in going abroad in 1911 was to find a way to save the country and its people, not just to save the nation itself, as many others at the time did.That is, to find a path that satisfies two goals: to liberate the nation from foreign domination and to save the people from oppression and exploitation. In other words, Ho Chi Minh wanted to carry out a national democratic revolution.a revolution with a "dual" objective, It simultaneously regained independence for the Vietnamese nation and resolved the fundamental issue of the new type of democratic revolution: abolishing the backward monarchy and establishing a new, progressive democratic state of the people led by the working class.In line with that ideological purpose, Ho Chi Minh studied many major revolutions around the world, such as the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Russian Revolution. Ho Chi Minh believed that the American and French Revolutions were revolutions of immense value, but not thorough.Not yet arrived"Because afterwards the people were still oppressed and exploited, and wanted to make another revolution to liberate themselves. 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."This means that the revolution brought the Russian workers and peasants to power, building a socialist regime. In other words, the goal of national independence in Ho Chi Minh's thought was extremely important and urgent, but ultimately it was only the beginning, not the end. Ho Chi Minh's ultimate goal was to liberate the people, to liberate humanity, to establish a democratic regime, and to make everyone free, prosperous, and happy. With this understanding and to achieve his "dual" goal, especially the goal of liberating the people and liberating humanity, Ho Chi Minh decided to lead the Vietnamese revolution along the path of the Russian Revolution and he did everything to propagate and awaken the nation, guiding the national and democratic movements in our country along the path of the proletarian revolution. According to Ho Chi Minh's thought on a revolution with a "dual" goal, especially the ultimate goal of liberating humanity, inBrief political program, Brief Strategyof the Communist Party of Vietnam adopted at the Party's founding conference (February 1930) as well as inPolitical ThesisAs adopted by the Party at the Central Executive Committee meeting in October 1930, our Party advocated:To carry out bourgeois democratic revolution and agrarian revolution to advance towards a communist society. To overthrow French imperialism and feudalism.”(².Ho Chi Minh assessed: “Imbued with Marxism-Leninism, the Party formulated a correct revolutionary line. In its 1930 program for the bourgeois democratic revolution, the Party clearly stated its tasks.anti-imperialist and anti-feudalThe Party's program aimed to achieve national independence and ensure land for the tiller. This program perfectly aligned with the fervent aspirations of the vast majority of our people, who were farmers. Therefore, the Party was able to unite immense revolutionary forces around its own class. Meanwhile, the parties of other classes either went bankrupt or became isolated. Consequently, the leadership of our Party—the Party of the working class—was continuously consolidated and strengthened." (³Democratic ideology and democratic goals are the factors, conditions, and standards that make the Vietnamese revolution thoroughly revolutionary, unlike any previous national liberation movement. This is the key point that distinguishes Ho Chi Minh's thought from other contemporary Vietnamese ideologies. Throughout the revolutionary leadership process, Ho Chi Minh and our Party consistently adhered to the defined "dual" goal, striving to carry out the national democratic revolution to advance towards socialism, with highly flexible and creative solutions and guidance. The revolutionary high tide of 1930-1931 and the Nghe An-Ha Tinh Soviet were of significant historical importance because they affirmed the Party's leadership role nationwide, built a worker-peasant alliance, and brought workers and peasants to power in many localities in the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Because the enemy was still strong, using all kinds of brutal repression, and because Party cadres and members lacked experience and were influenced by...left-wing"Because of external influences, the movement suffered great losses, and the model of a Soviet-style revolutionary state of workers and peasants, a socialist state modeled after Russia, was abolished. When the world situation underwent new changes and under the guidance of the Communist International, as well as based on the realities of Indochina, the Party decided to temporarily set aside the slogan 'national independence and land for the tiller"This aimed to launch the democratic movement of 1936-1939, achieving many victories and advancing the Vietnamese revolution to a higher level, especially in terms of democratic goals and tasks. The form of state chosen by the Party wasdemocratic republic(Democratic Republic of Indochina), replacing the Soviet-style government. From late 1939, due to new developments in the world and domestic situation, the Party and Ho Chi Minh gradually shifted the revolution to a new phase, raising the goal of national liberation, and including the issue of armed uprising to seize power and establish the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the action program. To avoid cadres and Party members misunderstanding the relationship between the ultimate strategic goal and the immediate, urgent goal, between the long-term task and the "present" task of the bourgeois democratic revolution when raising the slogan of national independence, temporarily setting aside the slogan of land to the tiller, the Resolution noted:That's not to say 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 is not abandoning its land reform mission, nor is it taking a step backward; rather, it is taking a shorter step to gain the strength to take a longer one."(⁵This means that the Party and Ho Chi Minh believed that the issue of democracy was not just about land, and certainly not about land. The issue of democracy is much broader, deeper, and more long-lasting than the issue of land, encompassing freedom of election and candidacy, 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 goal or giving up the democratic revolution. Therefore, the content of the Resolution of the Eighth Central Committee Conference (May 1941) can be understood as not contradicting Ho Chi Minh's earlier strategic goal, the "dual" goal, and the ultimate democratic ideal, but merely as a policy with a "dual" nature."immediate”, for the period “Present"...not abandoning the goal of democracy, but merely "Take a small step to gain the strength to take a longer step."That change did not alter the fundamental nature of the Indochinese revolution according to Ho Chi Minh's ideology. The strategic goals and tasks of the Vietnamese revolution remained to carry out a national democratic revolution, overthrow imperialism and feudalism, seize power for the people, and make it…"A truly democratic and democratic Republic of Vietnam will emerge.""to establish a new democratic Vietnam”, “establish a people's government(⁶).

2. The August 1945 Uprising: The Victory of the Democratic Revolution Based on Ho Chi Minh's Ideology

According to the defined objectives, the Party and Ho Chi Minh focused all efforts on building the Viet Minh Front, national salvation organizations, establishing base areas, building armed forces, developing the Viet Minh movement, the movement to destroy Japanese grain warehouses, and providing famine relief to the people... These movements attracted all strata of the people to follow the revolution, bringing the national democratic revolution to its peak. Upon hearing that Japan had been defeated by the Allies and the Japanese army in Indochina was paralyzed, with initiative and foresight, Ho Chi Minh and the Central Committee of the Party immediately opened...National Cadre Conference of the Party and the National CongressIn Tan Trao (Tuyen Quang), those conferences and congresses decided to launch a nationwide general uprising to seize power with the principle of "Focus, unity, timelinessFollowing the directives of the Party and the Viet Minh Front, the entire Vietnamese nation rose up to fight for 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 solemnly celebrated in Hanoi.Government of the Democratic Republic of VietnamPresented to the nation, a progressive democratic republican political system was established to replace the reactionary, outdated monarchy and colonial regime.Revolution is creative, truth is concrete. The practical experience of the August 1945 General Uprising clearly demonstrated that it was not only an uprising that drove out fascist and imperialist invaders, but also overthrew the monarchy and established a democratic republic for all the Vietnamese people.The declaration of independence of the August Revolution was a declaration of independence, but the state system established was a democratic republic, a people's democracy. If the August 1945 General Uprising had only aimed at national liberation, at expelling imperialism without abolishing the monarchy, it would be no different from other uprisings and resistance movements in Vietnamese history. Emphasizing Ho Chi Minh's and the Party's policy of upholding the goal of national liberation during the 1939-1945 period, and highlighting the value of national independence of the August 1945 General Uprising, is correct. However, absolutizing it, obscuring the value of democracy and the historical significance of crushing the Bao Dai monarchy and establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam—a state of the people, by the people, and for the people—only clarifies and elevates a part of Ho Chi Minh's revolutionary thought, a part of the Party's national democratic revolutionary line, and a part of the victory of the August General Uprising. The overthrow of the feudal monarchy and the establishment of a democratic republic during the August 1945 General Uprising was not a ""While you're at it," "taking advantage of the situation""This was a clearly defined revolutionary strategic goal in Ho Chi Minh's thought, in the first Party Platform and subsequent Party documents, including the Eighth Central Committee Conference in May 1941. Moreover,The fundamental problem of every revolution is the problem of state power.The August 1945 General Uprising, if it had only aimed to expel imperialism and gain independence like previous uprisings and resistance movements against foreign invaders in Vietnamese history, could not have been called a revolution.The August 1945 General Uprising is called the August Revolution because it successfully resolved the fundamental issue of a revolution: the issue of state power. It overthrew the feudal Nguyen Dynasty, ruled by the landlord class, and established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, a government of the Vietnamese people led by the working class through its political party, the Communist Party.Despite the success of the August Revolution, the goal of national independence still required continued struggle for many more decades, and foreign oppression was not completely eradicated throughout the country until 1975. However, the objective of seizing power was fundamentally achieved, ushering in a new era for Vietnam – an era of people's democracy progressing towards socialism. Modern and contemporary Vietnamese history, and the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam, consistently affirm this.The period from 1930 to 1945 was a period of struggle for political power; the August 1945 General Uprising was therefore the August Revolution.It is no coincidence that in Tan Trao, the National Conference of the Party (August 13, 1945) and the National Congress (August 16, 1945) advocated the establishment of a provisional government called...Vietnam National Liberation CommitteeHowever, upon returning to Hanoi (August 28, 1945), Ho Chi Minh and the Party changed it to...Government of the Democratic Republic of VietnamIt's not a coincidence that...Declaration of IndependenceReading at Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi on the afternoon of September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh cited and supported 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. It is no coincidence that in the Declaration of Independence, Ho Chi Minh repeatedly placed the values ​​of freedom and democracy before independence:Vietnam has the right to freedom and independence, and in fact, it has become a free and independent nation. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to dedicate all their spirit and strength, lives and property, to safeguard that right to freedom and independence.”⁷With the ideology of saving the nation linked to saving the people, independence linked to democracy, freedom, and socialism, Ho Chi Minh believed that if a country is independent but its people do not enjoy freedom and happiness, then independence is meaningless..Immediately after National Day, Ho Chi Minh directed the commencement of a series of enormous and arduous tasks to build the democratic republic of Vietnam. These included completely dismantling the old government apparatus, organizing general elections to elect the National Assembly and People's Councils, promulgating a people's democratic constitution, launching famine relief campaigns, eradicating illiteracy, and building a new way of life… The name of the provisional government was also changed from…Vietnam National Liberation CommitteewallGovernment of the Democratic Republic of VietnamEmphasizing both national goals (quoting the American Declaration of Independence) and human rights and democracy (quoting the French Declaration of Human Rights); the swift and thorough dismantling of the Nguyen dynasty's feudal state apparatus, the establishment of a democratic republican political system, and the promotion of democratic values ​​in the General Uprising… these were pivotal, rapid, and creative changes in Ho Chi Minh's and the Party's political thinking. This shift made the August General Uprising the pinnacle of the national democratic revolution, as it truly is.Main ProgramandPolitical ThesisThe Party's 1930 resolution accurately reflected the reality of the General Uprising that took place, fulfilling the will and aspirations of the Vietnamese people and the trends of the times. This fundamental change and shift was theIt affirms that the achievements of the August 1945 General Uprising were not only a victory of the national movement but also the result of the democratic movement and the people's democratic revolution.This also affirms that Ho Chi Minh and the Party not only raised the national flag but also the national flag.the banner of democracyDuring the struggle for power and even during the August 1945 General Uprising, the result of that General Uprising was due to the strength of the entire nation, fundamentally the masses, with the worker-peasant alliance as the core. 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 achieved. 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, society, and themselves—withDemocratic Republic of VietnamA people's democratic state, the most progressive state in Southeast Asia, could only be achieved during the Ho Chi Minh era, only through the August Revolution. After the Japanese withdrawal from Southeast Asia, almost all countries in the region were liberated, many declared independence, butThe abolition of the feudal state and the autocratic monarchy to establish a people's democratic state and a democratic republic is unique to Vietnam. This is the extraordinary greatness of the August 1945 General Uprising, a pivotal and epoch-making victory for the Vietnamese nation, guided by Ho Chi Minh's democratic ideology.That means the great victory of the August 1945 General Uprising,outstanding and unique historical achievementsThe undeniable legacy of the Communist Party and Ho Chi Minh isin the establishment of a democratic republic,It's not just about regaining independence like the previous uprisings and resistance movements in our country and the struggle for independence in many other countries around the world. And therefore,Ho Chi Minh was not only a great national liberation hero but also the founder of the People's Democratic Republic, a brilliant democrat of Vietnam and the world..