Preparation and Party leadership cannot be denied
The victory of the 1945 August Revolution was the culmination of a long, arduous struggle full of sacrifices by the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh. However, hostile and reactionary elements at home and abroad have sought to distort historical facts, deny the achievements of the national struggle, incite division in national unity, undermine the prestige of President Ho Chi Minh, and negate the Party's leading role in the revolution.
In a paper submitted to a conference on the August Revolution, Dr. Doan Van Bau, Director General of the Political Theory Department under the Party Central Committee's Commission for Information and Education, identified and directly refuted several of these distorted claims.
One distorted claim argues that the victory of the August Revolution was merely a result of favorable circumstances or "a stroke of luck" rather than Party leadership. Critics cite the surrender of the Japanese fascists as having created a "power vacuum" that allowed the revolution to succeed easily.
Dr. Doan Van Bau stated that this is a one-sided speculation that intentionally denies the decisive role of the subjective factor. In reality, an objective opportunity, the confusion among Japanese forces after their defeat, only becomes a revolutionary opportunity when forces are prepared in advance under timely leadership. Otherwise, the golden opportunity would pass quickly. The swift victory within 15 days was actually the result of long-term preparation, not something that "fell from the sky."
The Party had actively built its strength over many preceding years: expanding the Viet Minh Front, establishing base areas in Viet Bac, Central Vietnam, and Nam Ky (Cochinchina), training cadres, arming the masses, and raising patriotic awareness through national salvation movements. In other words, a favorable opportunity is only meaningful when the Party knows how to seize it. Western historical records also document that the Viet Minh had prepared local national liberation committees across the country, ready to act simultaneously upon receiving orders. As a result, within "15 historic days," revolutionary power was established nationwide.
"The truth is that without the unified and decisive leadership of the Party, such a swift and comprehensive general uprising would have been impossible. Claims that the August Revolution succeeded by 'luck' are completely baseless, serving as a deliberate tactic to deny the contributions of the Party and our people," Dr. Doan Van Bau concluded.
Another distorted narrative attributes the August Revolution and the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as the main cause of the two resistance wars against the French and the Americans. Detractors falsely frame these conflicts as a "civil war" that led to the division of the country.
According to Dr. Doan Van Bau, this argument aims to smear the Party. Following World War II, colonial empires did not all voluntarily grant independence to their colonies; many stubbornly sought to reoccupy them by force. Vietnam is a typical example: shortly after gaining independence, the people of Southern Vietnam had to face a second invasion by French colonialists. On September 23, 1945, abetted by British forces, the French military opened fire to occupy Saigon, ruthlessly suppressing the fledgling revolutionary government and our compatriots in the South.
Bau argued that without the timely establishment of the revolutionary government led by the Viet Minh and the resolve to resist for national salvation, the country would have been immediately recolonized. Asserting that "Vietnam could have achieved independence with fewer losses without the Party" is a dangerous fallacy. In reality, the establishment of the revolutionary administration after the August Revolution provided the foundation for the entire nation to enter the resistance war against foreign aggression from a position of initiative.
"If the Party had not led the people to take up arms, the newly gained independence could certainly not have been maintained, and our nation would have remained enslaved under colonial and feudal rule. The responsibility for initiating war lies with the aggressors; it cannot be falsely shifted onto the Communist Party-the force that led the people in a struggle of just self-defence," Dr. Doan Van Bau affirmed.
National strength and Party leadership behind the victory
Additionally, hostile and reactionary elements have alleged that the victory of the August Revolution was solely due to the national spirit rather than Party leadership, falsely claiming that the Viet Minh Front and the Party usurped credit from the "nation" (the masses) during the revolution.
Dr. Doan Van Bau analyzed that this is essentially a distorted claim aimed at separating the Communist Party from the nation's struggle movement for independence, and denying the Party's guiding role in the revolution.
No one denies that patriotism and the desire for independence were the underlying drivers of the August Revolution-an objective factor forged through centuries of struggle by our ancestors. However, that motivation could only unleash its power when guided by wise leadership.\ Modern history shows that prior to 1930, although our people repeatedly rose against foreign invaders (through the Can Vuong movement, Yen The uprising, Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc, and the Vietnam Quang Phuc Hoi, among others), all ended in failure due to the lack of a sound strategy for national salvation and a leading organization of sufficient prestige and vision.
The founding of the Party in 1930 ended the crisis over the path to national liberation. During the revolutionary surge from 1930 to 1945, the Party and the Viet Minh Front organized and channeled the patriotic spirit of the masses in the right direction.
Founded and led by the Indochinese Communist Party, the Viet Minh Front rallied and united broad patriotic forces-workers, peasants, intellectuals, petty bourgeoisie, patriotic figures, and even progressive landlords- under the red flag with a gold star. The victory of the 1945 August Revolution is vivid proof of the close bond between national and class issues in the Vietnamese revolution under Party leadership. When the decisive moment arrived, the Party advocated "Nation first, Fatherland first," mobilizing the entire population to rise in a general uprising to seize power for the people.
"Therefore, arguing that 'victory belonged to the nation, not the Party' is a convoluted assertion that conflates concepts. That victory was naturally a shared triumph of the entire Vietnamese nation, but the decisive factor in bringing into full play national strength was precisely the organizing and leading role of the Party," Dr. Doan Van Bau concluded.
According to Dr. Doan Van Bau, these distorted claims must be refuted with scientific arguments and historical truth, implemented effectively through several fundamental measures:
First, step up education and communication on the nation's historical traditions for all strata of society, especially the younger generation, to foster a clear understanding of the historical value and epochal significance of the 1945 August Revolution.
Second, actively and proactively fight to defeat the distorted propaganda and historical misrepresentations by hostile and reactionary forces. Proactively grasp and accurately forecast the situation, content, and methods of sabotage by hostile and reactionary forces, thereby formulating plans and determining appropriate, effective, regular, continuous, and timely methods of struggle, with a focus on critical milestones, particularly major national holidays and anniversaries.
Third, focus on boosting national development and enhancing all aspects of the people's lives, creating the most authentic and vivid foundation of practical internal strength to refute and defeat the dark schemes and tactics of hostile and reactionary forces.
