Lessons in seizing opportunities in the process of revolutionary leadership

It can be said that the greatest lesson of the August Revolution of 1945 was to seize the right opportunity. With great intelligence and rich practical experience, Ho Chi Minh and our Party recognized the opportunity and promptly proposed policies and plans for the general uprising. That lesson continued to be effectively promoted by our Party in the process of leading the revolution.

The great victory of the August Revolution in 1945 was the victory of the strength of great national unity, the tradition of ardent patriotism and the indomitable will of the entire people. Photo: VNA

In August 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies. In Indochina, the Japanese army was in panic, and the revolutionary movement across the country was seething. Ho Chi Minh affirmed that the time had come, and that independence must be won no matter what sacrifices had to be made.

He said: “We need to seize every second, every minute, the situation will change quickly, we cannot miss the opportunity”. He decided to hold the National Congress in Tan Trao and sent a letter calling on the people of the whole country to rise up in a general uprising before the allied troops entered our country: “The decisive hour for the fate of our nation has come. The whole country, let us rise up and use our own strength to liberate ourselves... We cannot delay. Forward! Forward! Under the Viet Minh flag, let us courageously advance”.

Responding to Ho Chi Minh's call, when the Japanese fascists surrendered and the Allies had not yet disarmed, millions of people rose up as one to carry out a general uprising. The success of the August Revolution was the result of a process of revolutionary struggle, organizing forces, and preparing conditions since the Party's founding, so that when the opportunity came, they could promptly seize it to carry out a general uprising to overthrow the colonialist oppression and invasion, and gain national independence.

Rally at the Opera House Square on August 19, 1945. Photo: Archive

To protect the independence and unity of the country, the resistance war against the US to save the country of our people is one of the greatest and fiercest historical challenges. The victory on April 30, 1975 is one of the three miracles of Vietnamese history in the 20th century, along with the birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the victory of the August Revolution. That victory ended 117 years of fighting against old and new colonialism, affirming the independence and complete unity of the Vietnamese Fatherland to move towards socialism.

The resistance war against the US for national salvation had a turning point when the Party Central Committee issued Resolution 15 (in 1959) on launching armed struggle in the South. The fierce battle between us and the US imperialists seemed to be unequal, but it was decided by our Party's preparation of conditions and seizing opportunities.

After the Mau Than campaign in 1968 and the victory of Dien Bien Phu in the air in the North, the US had to sign the Paris Agreement in 1973 to withdraw all troops. Realizing that the opportunity had come, the Party advocated focusing on building forces to prepare all conditions for counterattack. From the attack and resounding victory in Phuoc Long (December 13, 1974), the Politburo met on January 6, 1975 to make a strategic determination to liberate the South within 2 years, if the opportunity came, in 1975.

The map recreates the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, ending the resistance war against American invasion and unifying the country.

Assuming that there had been no careful preparation, correct analysis of the situation and accurate strategic vision, it would have been difficult to have ended the war with such a complete and total victory on April 30, 1975. This “golden milestone” affirms the correct leadership and direction, creatively seizing the great opportunity of our Party in the “historic confrontation” against foreign invaders, which was one of the most difficult in the resistance wars to gain and preserve our nation’s independence.

To achieve revolutionary victory, we need strategic vision, force preparation, and sensitivity to predict opportunities. In 1945 and 1975, recognizing that the opportunity had come, we needed to make a historic decision to promptly mobilize all forces in all aspects to take advantage of the opportunity to bring the revolution to victory.

Under the rallying flag of the Party, the entire nation was united to create boundless strength, that strength, together with seizing the right opportunity, defeated the "two great empires" to gain independence and unify the country. But as President Ho Chi Minh said: "If the nation is independent but the people are not happy and free, then independence is meaningless." Having gained independence and unification, the country after 1975 faced many difficulties.

Phan Dinh Phung Street, Ha Tinh City in previous years (Photo by Sy Ngo).

The blockade and embargo, the unsuitable centralized economic policy, the continued sabotage by the enemy, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc, and the seeming end of the road. Faced with that danger, our Party, with its steadfastness and vision of the times, looked straight at the truth, determined to change its thinking, and creatively find a path of innovation.

From the difficulties, the Party has seen and created opportunities to continue the country's development on the chosen path. With a socialist-oriented market mechanism, with multilateral and diverse international cooperation, with an independent and autonomous mindset, breaking through the old to see the new, overcoming the "risk of falling behind" and the "middle income trap", that is the mindset of seizing opportunities suitable to the new situation and conditions.

Innovation is essentially recognizing the movement of the law of development trends of the times, first of all correctly solving the core problem with the people as the center; national independence is the principle to achieve the synthesis from each person, each community, each class, stratum in society to the nation and the international community in a harmonious development whose core is the great national unity for independence, freedom and socialism, the boundless source of strength of our nation.

Faced with the current situation of globalization and unpredictable changes in the world, along with the 4th industrial revolution, we can seize this opportunity to integrate and choose the "shortcut, get ahead" way to help our country overcome difficulties and develop sustainably.

National identity in integration is emerging globally, therefore, dealing with national issues in the diverse development of the era and proactively predicting the movement of the times in the integration process to attract investment and solve practical problems of the country, each region, each locality is the problem of seizing opportunities to take correct and appropriate actions, creating total strength for the development of the country.

13th National Party Congress

The 13th National Party Congress document affirmed: "Our country has never had such a foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today". Up to now, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 191 out of 193 member countries of the United Nations with the "bamboo diplomacy" policy, promoting self-reliance, independence and autonomy, seizing opportunities to break through to achieve the goals: "Rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization", "By 1930, it will be a developing country with modern industry, high average income, by 2045 it will become a developed country with high income".

Dang Duy Bau

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/xay-dung-dang/bai-hoc-nam-bat-thoi-co-trong-qua-trinh-lanh-dao-cach-mang/253578.htm