Việt Nam News & Law reporter Lê Hương interviews historian Nguyễn Quang Ngọc, deputy chairman of the Việt Nam Historical Science Association and former head of the Department of History at VNU's University of Social Sciences and Humanities, about the significance of the August Revolution in 1945.

In your opinion, what were the underlying and immediate causes of the success of the August Revolution in 1945?

The August Revolution was the greatest nationwide uprising in Vietnamese history, which fully mobilised the strength of Vietnamese patriotism, the tradition of unity and the resilient will of all classes of people under the wise and skilful leadership of the Communist Party. The Party had undergone a long and methodical preparation process with suitable and flexible revolutionary methods, strategies and policies. It recognised the opportunity, actively anticipated it and decisively seized it, launching a general uprising to take power nationwide.

The revolution took place in an international context full of favourable conditions: fascist Germany, Italy and Japan had been defeated, and liberation movements of oppressed peoples and progressive forces around the world were gaining strength.

Professor Nguyễn Quang Ngọc. Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Quang Ngọc

How do you view the role of the masses in the success of the August Revolution?

Revolution is the cause of the masses. The August Revolution was a profoundly national and democratic revolution. This nature served as a rallying banner for national unity: "Our people united in one word – united in mind, in strength, in will, and in alliance."

The role of the masses was clearly demonstrated through the form and progress of the general uprising to seize power — marked by the vast participation of millions of people from all walks of life, from north to south, in both rural and urban areas, through mass rallies and large demonstrations that dissolved the puppet government and established revolutionary power nationwide.

Never before had the people participated so massively and actively in a national uprising to overthrow the old regime and establish a new one. The greatest achievement of the August Revolution was the establishment of the democratic people's Government.

As the 1946 Constitution clearly stated: "Việt Nam is a Democratic Republic. All power in the country belongs to the entire people of Việt Nam, regardless of ethnicity, gender, wealth, class, or religion."

The absolute role of the people in the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam confirmed the decisive role of the masses in the August Revolution.

What was the significance of the event on September 2, 1945, when President Hồ Chí Minh read the Declaration of Independence proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam, in the history of the nation?

On September 2, 1945, at Ba Đình Square, on behalf of the Provisional Government, President Hồ Chí Minh solemnly read the Declaration of Independence, stating:

“All peoples on earth are equal from birth, all peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free.

"Việt Nam has the right to be free and independent, and in fact, it is now a free and independent country. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to use all their spirit, strength, lives, and wealth to defend that freedom and independence.”

This was a brilliant summation of the core historical and cultural values of the nation, fused and elevated alongside the quintessence and standards of a new era of national independence, civil liberties and people’s well-being.

Việt Nam had gone through three declarations of independence. This one distilled the entire history of thousands of years of building and defending the nation, aligning with the course of human civilisation, and affirming unequivocally that Việt Nam had truly become a free and independent country according to both national values and international standards.

How did the success of the August Revolution and the establishment of an independent Vietnamese State lay the foundation for the country's future development?

The success of the August Revolution and the birth of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam was the most significant turning point in the millennia-long history of nation-building and defence, opening a new era of independence, freedom and progress toward modernisation and civilisation.

President Hồ Chí Minh stated: "Not only can the working class and people of Việt Nam be proud, but the working class and oppressed peoples elsewhere can also be proud. This is the first time in the history of revolutions by colonial and semi-colonial nations that a 15-year-old party led a successful revolution and took nationwide power."

The success of the August Revolution and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam provided invaluable experience, the greatest resource and a crucial foundation for the victories of the nine-year resistance against the French, the 20-year struggle against the Americans, the Đổi Mới (Renewal) reforms and the country's entry into a new era of development toward prosperity and civilisation.

In the international context of 1945, what impact did Việt Nam’s independence have on the national liberation movements in other colonial countries?

The August Revolution of 1945 in Việt Nam was a model revolution in a colonial country, resulting in the establishment of the first independent, democratic republic in Southeast Asia.

The great victory of the August Revolution became a powerful inspiration for the anti-colonial struggles of people in dependent and colonial nations around the world.

If you could describe the significance of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2) in just one sentence, what would it be?

I would say that the August Revolution and National Day, September 2, mark the greatest turning point in the nation’s history, ending the colonial and monarchical regimes and opening an era of independence, freedom, happiness and the civilised, prosperous development of the Vietnamese nation-state. — VNS