The success of the Russian October Revolution in 1917 marked a profound historical turning point, ushering in a new era of global transition from capitalism to socialism. This event carries immense and enduring significance that has withstood the test of time. Its fundamental impact is so deeply rooted that no force can deny its importance or manipulate its legacy to misrepresent Vietnam’s unique path towards socialism.

Lenin delivers a speech at Red Square, Moscow in 1917 (file photo)

1. Denying the value of the October Revolution - an impossibility

For decades, hostile and reactionary forces have employed various tactics to undermine our country’s revolution. Recently, they have shifted their strategy, focusing their attacks on the ideological and theoretical foundations of the Vietnamese revolution. In executing this tactic, they have put forth numerous arguments to distort, belittle, and deny the great value of the October Revolution. They claim: “The collapse of socialism in the birthplace of the October Revolution was inevitable, proving that choosing the path to socialism was a mistake and an illusion”. Based on this assertion, they “advise” nations not to follow these “failed footsteps” and urge them to say “no” to the path of building socialism. They specifically argue that “Vietnam should not follow the path of the October Revolution”, claiming it is “a path without a future” and “deviates from the laws of human social development”, among other criticisms.

However, despite the relentless efforts of hostile forces to deny and undermine it, the values of the October Revolution continue to endure and serve as a guiding light for revolutions worldwide.

This is clearly demonstrated by how the October Revolution created a significant practical breakthrough, transforming scientific theory into vivid reality. It achieved what no other revolution had accomplished, including the initial attempts and failure of the Paris Commune (in 1871). Thanks to this monumental breakthrough, the transition of human society from capitalism to socialism became a reality. This breakthrough showcases the potential, vitality, and creativity of scientific and revolutionary theory. From this point forward, socialism became known not only as a scientific theory or movement but also as a concrete social system - a vibrant reality with immense power that paved the way for oppressed nations to rise up and fight for independence and freedom.

The value of the October Revolution is further demonstrated by its transformation of the working class from a state of slavery to becoming the leading revolutionary class and masters of the new society. This is an achievement that all previous social revolutions had failed to accomplish. For the first time in history, a revolution succeeded that was not led by the exploiting, ruling class, but by the working class and labouring people under the leadership of the Communist Party. The success of the October Revolution holds a profound “epoch-opening” value and significance - ushering in the era of global transition from capitalism to socialism, with the establishment of socialist republics and Communist Parties in positions of ruling power. Regardless of historical changes or fluctuations, the milestone of the new era initiated by the October Revolution remains forever unaltered. No one can deny the pioneering, path-breaking value of the October Revolution. This is an undeniable certainty.

The October Revolution continues to have great appeal and influence due to its exemplary value, profoundly affecting all revolutions in the present era as well as the development of the modern world. In this regard, the ideological value of the October Revolution laid the foundation for realising the socialist revolutionary ideal on a global scale. Its “epoch-defining” influences of human significance have been continually applied and creatively developed by nations and peoples, affirming the enduring vitality and immortal spirit of the October Revolution. This represents a great value, a turning point that endures both in theory and practice, which no force can deny.

2. The undeniable value of the Russian October Revolution cannot be exploited to distort Vietnam’s path to socialism

In reality, when attacking and denying the greatest, most profound, and most thorough values brought about by the October Revolution, hostile and reactionary forces aim to “indirectly” deny and distort our country’s path to socialism. While this rhetoric is not new, the tactics employed have become more sophisticated, cunning, and harder to identify. Through indirect means, they attack the theoretical foundation of our country’s revolution, creating confusion and doubt, eroding faith in socialism and Vietnam’s path to socialism. They seek to diminish and deny the Party’s leadership role, ultimately aiming to steer Vietnam’s revolution towards the capitalist path. However, this scheme will never become a reality and is certain to fail for the following reasons.

Firstly, it must be emphasised that the Russian October Revolution and the Vietnamese Revolution are inextricably linked. The October Revolution stands as a paradigmatic revolution, heralding a new era of global revolutionary movements, with the Vietnamese Revolution being an integral component, closely intertwined with the world revolution. The path Vietnam’s revolution treads today is one pioneered by the Russian October Revolution. However, the specific forms, steps, and methodologies are not entirely identical, contingent upon the ability to adeptly navigate the relationship between objective conditions and subjective factors, as well as between revolutionary situations and opportunities. Moreover, the application and development of the October Revolution’s values in the practical movements and development of each country, region, and historical stage vary significantly. Consequently, the collapse of a specific socialist model in the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries cannot be equated with the “end of the path to socialism”, as falsely propagated by hostile and reactionary forces. The fundamental, direct, and decisive causes of this dissolution stem from errors in the political, ideological, and organisational policies of the ruling parties, coupled with the betrayal of core Marxist-Leninist principles by some of the highest-ranking leaders in those countries. Therefore, it is erroneous to conflate the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with a denial of the “epoch-defining” value of the October Revolution, and even more misguided to use this as a pretext to distort Vietnam’s socialist path. This type of “bridging” argument is methodologically flawed and incompatible with revolutionary practice.

Secondly, when evaluating the merit of a scientific and revolutionary theory on a global scale, we must not limit our assessment to the practical outcomes of a single revolution in one specific country. Instead, we must consider the cumulative evidence from multiple revolutions across various nations and diverse historical revolutionary periods. Through practical application, each of these revolutions can only validate scientific socialism’s correctness in specific, vivid aspects relevant to its unique circumstances. Truth must be tested through practice, but not through isolated instances. Rather, it must be verified through the widespread experiences of the masses, repeated time and again. Moreover, success is not the sole criterion; even failures in practical activities serve as benchmarks for testing theoretical foundations. Therefore, the failure of a specific revolution does not necessarily equate to the failure of the underlying theory. On the contrary, it may further affirm the theory’s validity with greater precision. The crux of the matter lies in the necessity to “analyse concrete situations concretely”. We cannot resort to arbitrary generalisations, subjective interpretations, or misunderstandings.

Thirdly, the history of global revolutions demonstrates that capitalism, in its nascent stages, also endured painful setbacks in the face of fierce counterattacks from feudalism and opposing forces, coupled with the subjective errors of the bourgeoisie. For instance, the first bourgeois revolution in the Netherlands, which erupted in August 1566, required 82 years of persistent struggle before the Spanish government finally recognised Dutch independence in 1648. Similarly, the French Bourgeois Revolution, beginning in June 1791, necessitated three uprisings and one coup d'état before successfully overthrowing the feudal regime in July 1794, ushering in the bourgeoisie’s ascent to power and inaugurating an era of triumph and consolidated bourgeois rule on a global scale. This illustrates that implementing revolution has never been an easy task; success or failure hinges on the revolutionary leadership’s judicious selection of the correct revolutionary path and avoidance of grave mistakes.

Fourthly, current practice reveals that in countries developing along the socialist path, such as Vietnam, China, and Cuba, the ideological values and legacy of the October Revolution continue to thrive and evolve, achieving remarkable successes. Specifically for the Vietnamese revolution, the choice to follow the path of the October Revolution under the Party’s leadership led our people to successfully conduct the August Revolution, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) - the first worker-peasant state in Southeast Asia, abolishing the colonial and feudal regimes. Subsequently, as an inevitable development, our entire Party, people, and Military defeated the French colonialists and American imperialist invaders, completing the cause of national liberation and reunification. We have overcome crises and achieved “great, historically significant” and comprehensive accomplishments across all sectors during nearly 40 years of implementing the Renewal process, elevating our nation to “unprecedented levels of foundation, potential, status, and international prestige”.

This historical truth affirms the irreplaceable, enduring value of the October Revolution, which laid the groundwork for realising the socialist revolutionary ideal on a global scale. As President Ho Chi Minh aptly stated: “Like a brilliant sun, the October Revolution illuminated all five continents, awakening millions upon millions of exploited people across the earth. In human history, no revolution has ever held such profound and far-reaching significance”.

The analysis above demonstrates that “The path towards socialism is the aspiration of our people, the correct choice of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, and aligns with the developmental trends of history”.  Any rhetoric that denies the value of the October Revolution in an attempt to distort Vietnam’s socialist path is both irrational and unacceptable.

Associate Professor, Dr PHAN TRONG HAO

Central Council of Theoretical Studies