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Friday, 25 September 2020 15:35
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Contributions of the Communist Party of Vietnam to the international communist and workers’ movement

(LLCT) - As a genuine Marxist - Leninist Party, the Communist Party of Vietnam, established and trained by President Ho Chi Minh, has always smoothly combined genuine patriotism with the internationalism of the working class, maintained its identity as the working class, been steadfast in reaching for the goals of national independence and socialism, been firm in holding to Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, and applied these factors to the practical condition of Vietnam to build the proper line and policy since its establishment. Thanks to that, the Party has always fulfilled its historical mission for the nation, leading the Vietnamese revolution to successive victories. Simultaneously, it has made great contributions to the international communist and workers’ movement.

Vietnam took over ASEAN chairmanship from Thailand

Keywords: international communist and workers’ movement, Communist Party of Vietnam.

At the Party establishment plenum, the first political program determined that Vietnamese revolution had a close contact and was a part of the world proletarian revolution: “When popularizing the slogan of independent An Nam, we have to simultaneously communicate and practice with the oppressed people and the working class in the world”(1). In his appeal on the occasion of the Party establishment day, Nguyen Ai Quoc also stated: “The An Nam revolution is not isolated; on the contrary, it is supported by the world proletariat in general and the French proletariat in particular”(2).

It was the smooth combination of genuine patriotism and internationalism of the working class that helped the Communist Party of Vietnam not only fulfill the historical mission for the nation but also made great contributions to the international communist and workers’ movement theoretically and practically. They were as follows:

1. Contribution to theory

As Vietnamese revolution was a part of international revolution, the Party and President Ho Chi Minh made creative application of Marxism - Leninism to the specific condition of Vietnam, developed, and supplemented the revolutionary theory of Marxism - Leninism in the process of leading the revolution. Some theoretical points which were developed and supplemented to the theoretical treasure of Marxism - Leninism could be mentioned such as:

- Developing Marxist - Leninist theory about the revolutionary path in colonial and dependent countries. On studying capitalism in the free competition period, Karl Marx predicted that proletarian revolution would first break out and win in a number of the most developed capitalist countries in Europe. When capitalisms turned into the stages of monopolism and imperialism, V.I.Lenin believed the proletarian revolution did not necessarily break out in the most developed capitalist countries, but it could firstly win in some capitalist countries, even in just a capitalist one(3). Beside that, V.I.Lenin also asserted that when the conflict between the colonial peoples and imperialism became a basic conflict in the current era, the proletarian revolution would be not only the struggle of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie in the capitalist countries but also those of all the colonized countries, countries oppressed by imperialism, and dependent countries who fought against international imperialism(4). Thus, the proletariat in the capitalist mother countries needed to be in league with the liberation movement of the colonial peoples. Since then, V.I.Lenin added to Marx’s slogan “Proletarians of the world, unite” to “Proletarians of the world and oppressed peoples, unite”.

From the perspective of a colonial person who witnessed the successive failure of the Vietnamese patriotic movements, Ho Chi Minh found a new way to save the country after reading the first draft of “The Theses on National and Colonial Issues” of V.I.Lenin (July 1920). Believing in V.I.Lenin for thinking that this was the most genuine, certain, and revolutionary doctrine(5), he also asserted: “To save the country and liberate people, there is no other way but the proletarian revolution path”(6). Ho Chi Minh not only believed in the correctness of the revolutionary theory of Marxism - Leninism, but also thought that the national liberation revolution in colonized countries would gradually become communist societies over time. The 1930 Program of the Party drafted by Ho Chi Minh showed that the development process of the Vietnamese revolution was to do the bourgeois revolution of civil rights and land revolution to progress towards a communist society(7). In fact, the Vietnamese revolution followed the process set out by Ho Chi Minh which aimed to accomplish the people’s national democratic revolution against the colonialists, imperialists, and feudalists to move straight to socialism, skipping capitalism as a socio-political regime.

- Developing the Marxist - Leninist theory about the relationship between the national liberation revolution in the colonized countries and the proletarian revolution in the mother country. Due to the limitations of historical context, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels did not discuss national liberation revolutions in colonized countries and their relationship to the world proletarian revolution. V.I.Lenin was the first to set up the organic relationship between the struggle of the world proletariat and the liberation movement of the colonial and dependent peoples in the era of imperialism. However, V.I.Lenin considered that the victory of the national liberation revolution in colonies needed help from the proletarian revolution in the developed capitalist countries. The Manifesto of the Communist International (March 1919) also stated that the work of liberating the colonial peoples could only succeed when the struggle of the proletariat in the mother countries triumphed.

From the practical struggle of the people in the colonized countries, world revolution, plentiful operating experience, and his sharp view, Ho Chi Minh provided the new views on this relationship. On the one hand, he considered the exploitation of capitalism as a two-tentacled leech: one tentacle attached to the proletariat in the motherland, and the other to the proletariat in the colonized countries(8). Hence, in their struggle, the proletarian revolution in the mother country and the colonial liberation revolution shared the close connection that pushed each other like two wings of a bird. On the other hand, Ho Chi Minh thought that the national liberation revolution of the people in colonized countries was self-contained, equal, and independent on the proletarian revolution in the mother country, and even the fate of the world proletariat, especially that of the proletariat in the invading countries, was in close association with the fate of the exploited class in the colonized countries...(9). Thus, it was his belief that revolution in the colonies should not be passive and reliant on the revolution in the mother country but should be self-reliant, active, independent, and creative so that they could rise to liberate themselves. The national liberation revolution was able to triumph in a colonial country before the revolution in the mother country, thereby helping promote the proletarian revolution in the mother country. Even in the Manifesto of the Union of the Colonial Nations in 1921, Nguyen Ai Quoc asserted that the work of liberating the people in colonized countries could only be implemented with their own effort(10). After that, in the work Revolutionary Path (1927), he once again said: “We have to help ourselves first before others help us”(11). With that thought, during the process of leading the works of liberating and saving the country of the Vietnamese people, Ho Chi Minh always appreciated the promotion of the independent, self-reliant, and self-liberating spirit(12). This was really a valuable supplementation and development of Ho Chi Minh to the revolutionary theory of Marxism - Leninism. The success of the revolution in some colonized countries further affirmed the contribution of Ho Chi Minh, as well as the Communist Party of Vietnam, to the international communist and workers’ movement. 

- Developing Marxist - Leninist theory about handling the relationship between the class and people and between liberating class and liberating the people in the liberation work in colonized countries. In the revolutionary theory of Marxism - Leninism, the issues of class struggle and proletarian liberation were the top priority, which considered class struggle to be the condition and premise to liberate the peoples. The issues of nation and national liberation were seen as the consequence of class liberation which depended on the result of the liberation struggle of the proletariat. Karl Marx said: “Abolishing the exploitation of man by man will lead to abolishment of the exploitation of nation by nation”(13). However, it was the founders of Marxism who believed that the struggle of the proletariat carried the nature of the world, but those struggles were associated with specific nations. Hence, the proletariat had to fulfill its mission towards the nation. The Manifesto of the Communist Party stated: “Although the struggle of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie was not a national struggle in terms of content, it was in the form of national struggle at the beginning”(14). Thus, the proletariat in each country had to take over the government, rise as a national class, and become a nation itself first(15).

Ho Chi Minh pointed out very soon that Marxist theory was built on the specific historical context of Europe and that Europe was not the whole of mankind(16). He criticized the dogma that supported comprehending the theory of class struggle of Marxism without considering the situation of one’s country, which must be done to follow Marxism properly(17). Ho Chi Minh believed that the Marxist theory of class struggle and the relationship between the class and people had to be supplemented and developed with eastern ethnology when applied to the eastern colonial societies(18). Accordingly, he indicated the necessity of considering the basic differences between the West and the East in terms of economic conditions and society - class structure. In the eastern colonial and feudal countries, the working class was weak. The conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat was not clear and striking while the main one was between oppressed people and colonialism, imperialism, and feudal forces who betrayed the country. Thus, the central and top prioritized tasks for the revolution in colonized countries were to deal with national conflict, to struggle against invading imperialists and colonialists to free the country and to gain freedom for the people. As for this issue, Ho Chi Minh stated: “If we cannot handle national issues, liberate the nation, and claim independence and freedom for the whole nation, our country will not only suffer slave life but also fail to claim the interest the class forever(19). However, he also emphasized that national struggle was associated with class struggle, and it was a part of the proletarian revolution which was based on the ideology of the working class, led by the pioneer of the communist party, closely associated with the international proletarian revolution and proletariat in the mother country, and developing into socialism upon accomplishing the mission of liberating the nation. Only then could the revolution gain full victory(20).  

- Ho Chi Minh and our Party creatively supplemented and developed Marxist -Leninist theory of the revolutionary party and forces in the context of the national liberation revolution in colonized countries. In discussion of the rule of the birth of the Marxist parties and from the specific situation for revolution in European countries, V.I.Lenin created a general formula: Communist Party = Marxism + Workers’ Movement. However, from the particular context of the society and class of Vietnam and other feudal colonized countries where the class gap and class struggle were not as clear as in Europe, where the working class was still small in number and weak in quality, and where patriotism and nationalism were the great motivations of the country, Ho Chi Minh believed the birth of the communist parties in the colonial people had to be the combination of Marxism - Leninism, workers’ movement, and national patriotic movement of the people’s classes against colonialism to free the country. Since then, Ho Chi Minh thought that the party represented class struggle, working people, and the whole nation. For Vietnamese revolution, Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “The Vietnam Workers’ Party is the party of the working class and working people, so it must be the Party of the Vietnamese people. The interests of the working class, working people, and the nation are one”(21). In 1961, he once again asserted: “Ours is the Party of the class as well as the people, and it is not partial or biased”(22). The theoretical points about the birth of a proletarian party and the relationship between the party and people very outstanding supplementation and development of Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam for the theory of building a new style proletarian party in colonized and dependent countries, and these were also a contribution of theory to the international communist and workers’ movement.

2. Contribution to practice

2.1. It could be asserted that the first great and covering contribution of Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam to the international communist and workers’ movement in practice was a deep lesson about the methods of comprehending, learning, acquiring, and practicing Marxism - Leninism. For genuine communists and revolutionaries, they had to create, renovate, develop, and continuously enrich the treasure of Marxism - Leninism while they learned and practiced Marxist theory, avoided falling into rigid dogma, right wing or left-wing positions, or absolutization and deification of Karl Marx and V.I.Lenin. The dogmatic and right-wing awareness, even the monopoly of truth in the awareness and practice of Marxism - Leninism in some communists and communist parties, was the main reason for the discord and division in the international communist and workers’ movement in the 1950s - 1970s. That was also one of the reasons that Marxism and real socialism became rigid and unmotivated for development, and the consequence was the collapse of socialism in Eastern European countries and Soviet Union. The example of acquiring and practicing Marxism - Leninism of Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam has both historical lessons and deep era significance to the revolutionaries in the current context of international communist and workers’ movement.

2.2. Another practical contribution of Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam to the international communist and workers’ movement was to find the way to save the country and show the proper revolutionary method for oppressed colonized peoples to rise up and liberate themselves and apply the revolutionary theory of Marxism - Leninism to the context of a colonized and half-feudal country like Vietnam successfully. The great achievements with the era stature of Vietnamese revolution led by Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam were the experiences with wide and deep impacts on the struggle to liberate the colonial and oppressed peoples, which helped awaken, arouse, promote, and encourage patriotic and revolutionary movements in colonized and dependent peoples in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to stand up to liberate themselves, achieve freedom and national independence, cause the dissolution and full collapse of the colonial system of old capitalism that had existed for hundreds of years, and make great contributions to changing the face of the world in the 20th century deeply.

2.3. In the current context of the world, when the world revolutionary movement in general and the international communist and workers’ movement in particular have temporarily fallen into recession, the Communist Party of Vietnam always shows international solidarity and continues making contributions to the international communist and workers’ movement. On implementing the multilateralized and diversified foreign relations line, the Communist Party of Vietnam always asserts to strengthen and reinforce the solidarity and cooperation with the Communist and Workers’ Parties, left wing parties, liberation movements and national independence, and the revolutionary and progressive movements in the world. In the four instructing mottos to deal with the international matters in the renovation period, the Party has determined that the first one was to ensure the genuine interest of the people and to smoothly combine the patriotism and internationalism of the working class.

Being loyal to the internationalism of the working class in the process of leading the Vietnamese revolution, especially since early 1990s, with their specific operations to restore the international communist and workers’ movement, the Communist Party of Vietnam, the working class and the progressive people in the world have fought to implement the goals of the era: peace, national independence, and democracy and social progress. Although the world situation after the cold war became complicated, and the operating environment of each communist party in different country varied, as the pioneer of the working class, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist and Workers’ Parties in the international communist and workers’ movement always showed the unity in different issues in terms of thought and politics on the thought basis of Marxism - Leninism, patiently fought for the goals of the era, looked toward to the aim and ideal of liberating the class and society, and build socialism. The basic unity of political thought and these strategic goals are the objective and convenient premise to create the friendship, cooperation, and mutual help between the Communist Party of Vietnam and Communist and Workers’ Parties in the international communist movement before as well as today, which express the inevitability and purity of the proletarian internationalism of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

In practice, since the Vietnamese revolution was led by the Communist Party of Vietnam, it has been proved that every victory of the Vietnamese working class and people against the colonialists and feudalist before as well as in the renovation cause to gradually move our country to socialism today has been not only an encouragement source to the communist forces in the world but also an important contribution to the general struggle of the international communist and workers’ movement for the time’s goal.

When the Communist Party of Vietnam initiated the national renovation cause (1986), it was also the time that real socialism was sinking into the most severe crisis in all fields of social life, which would lead to the collapse of socialism in Eastern European countries and the Soviet Union. In the condition that the revolution fell into recession, that the Communist Party of Vietnam further enhanced, reinforced the leadership role, persisted in Marxism - Leninism and the goal of socialism, and continuously raised the position and international influence was a lively evidence of the contribution of our Party to the international communist and workers’ movement in the current period. The firmness of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the persistence in the goal of socialism are the great encouragement for the international communist and workers’ movement. Not only that, the fact that the Communist Party of Vietnam continuously summarizes, practices, and promotes theory study, especially Marxism - Leninism to build the strategic line and tactic on that basis to gradually move to socialism, adapt to the changes of the world after the cold war, and fit the specific condition of Vietnam is considered as a breakthrough which helps increase the vitality of socialism and has great influence on the international communist and workers’ movement.

Although the manifestation of the internationalism of the Party’s working class varies in form in each period and stage, the unity and cooperation in the brotherly spirit with the communist parties in the international communist and workers’ movement are determined as a core principle on the external relation of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The presence of numerous delegates from the communist parties of many countries in the world at the 7th, 8th, and 9th Congresses of the Communist Party of Vietnam, our Party’s hosting the 17th conference of the Communist and Workers’ Parties in 2016 as well as the participation of the delegation of our Party at the congresses of many communist parties in the international communist and workers’ movement are a specific manifestation of internationalism of the working class. Not only that, in recent years, the Communist Party of Vietnam has also actively participated in the annual international meetings between the Communist and Workers’ Parties such as those in Athens (Greece), Cyprus, Berlin, or the scientific workshops and forums in Sao Paulo of the Latin American left-wing forces and the world, etc. Through those, the Communist Party of Vietnam has expressed its views and positions on many urgent issues for the communists as well as the entire international communist and workers’ movement in the post-cold war period. Along with the popular theoretical issues, the Communist Party of Vietnam has deployed research and clarified a lot of issues faced by Vietnamese revolution such as the transitional period and the path to socialism from a low starting point like Vietnam, the development of a socialist oriented market economy, building the law-ruled state, developing the leadership experience of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the work of renovating the country and international integration, and many more. These are precious experiences that the communist parties in the international communist and workers’ movement can refer to and apply to the specific conditions of their countries, they can also be a source for further supplementing and enriching the treasure of Marxist - Leninist theory.

Over the past 90 years, under the leadership of Party the Vietnamese revolution has achieved historical victories. Apart from the decisive factor of internal strength, the international - era factors also make significant contribution to gaining such victories, including the consensus, support, and great help in the pure spirit of internationalism from the working class of the communist parties in the international communist and workers’ movement. In the present international context, when the international communist and workers’ movement has faced a great number of difficulties, as a genuine Marxist - Leninist party and the ruling party which leads the country to socialism, our Party is required to show the international nature of the working class in cooperating and helping the communist parties in the international communist and workers’ movement than ever.

__________________

Endnotes:

(1), (2), (7) CPV: Complete Works of Party documents, vol.2, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1998, p.5, 16, 93-95.

(3) V.I.Lenin: Complete Works, vol.26, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1980, p.447.

(4) V.I.Lenin: Complete Works, vol.39, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1977, p.370.

(5), (10), (11) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.2, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.289, 138, 320.

(6), (8), (9), (16), (18) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.1, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.9, 320, 295, 510, 510.

(12) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.3, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.596.

(13), (14), (15) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: Complete Works, vol.4, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, p.624, 611, 623-624.

(17) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.5, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.312.

(19) The Communist Party of Vietnam: Complete Set of Party Documents, vol.7, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2000, p.113.

(20) See: Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.15, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.392.

(21) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.7, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.41.

(22) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.10, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.275.

Assoc. Prof., Dr. Phan Van Ran

Institute for International Relations,

 

Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

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