From the August Revolution to the revolution of streamlining apparatus (Part 2)

PART 2: LEADING STRUGGLE IN PRE-UPRISING PERIOD 

Before leading the August general uprising, our Party had guided the people through victories in the pre-uprising period. This was a particularly significant historical stage, laying the foundation for the great triumph of the August Revolution in 1945. Under the steadfast and clear-sighted leadership of the Party, headed by President Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary flame was ignited, guiding our people step by step towards the general uprising to seize power.

Alongside the entire nation, the provisional Party Committee of Bien Hoa and the Party Committee of Binh Phuoc led the people in powerful struggles during the pre-uprising period, making thorough preparations so that when the opportunity came, the people could launch a general uprising to gain victory.

Ngo The Ngan recalls his memories of the August Revolution. Photo: Nguyet Ha

Seizing the opportunity

Following the guidance of the Southern Regional Party Committee, the Party organizations of former Dong Nai and former Binh Phuoc promptly issued directives and led the people in their struggles. According to the History of the Binh Phuoc Provincial Party Organization, in 1930–2020 period, in line with the resolution of the Party Central Committee and the Southern Regional Party Committee on launching the general uprising to seize power, provincial leaders immediately convened an expanded Party Committee meeting with grassroots secretaries to discuss the implementation of the resolution and the Central Committee’s order for a general uprising

The conference resolved to establish a Provincial Uprising Committee, while local grassroots units were instructed to immediately form their own committees. On August 25, 1945, revolutionary forces across the province were mobilized to seize power in the town. Simultaneous uprisings broke out in townships and major rubber plantations, or even earlier depending on the specific situation.”

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of the surging democratic movement launched by the Indochinese Communist Party, the provisional Party Committee of Bien Hoa was established in February 1937. This marked an important step forward for the revolutionary movement in a land rich in traditions of struggle, home to large numbers of rubber workers, agricultural laborers and small handicraft workers.

The provisional Bien Hoa Party Committee promptly translated the Party’s policy of expanding the Democratic Front into action, rallying the masses to demand livelihood and democracy, and to resist oppression and exploitation. Many grassroots Party cells were established among rubber workers in plantations such as Trang Bom, Ho Nai, Long Thanh and Tan Mai, becoming vital political nuclei.

The establishment and activities of the provisional Bien Hoa Party Committee embodied the resilience of revolutionary cadres during the pre-uprising period. This was a significant milestone in the struggle history of the Bien Hoa–Dong Nai Party Organization, enabling the local movement to merge with the national momentum, paving the way to the triumph of the August Revolution in 1945.

Col. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Son Dai, former Head of the Military Science Department under Military Zone 7, noted: “These events marked an important milestone in the vigorous struggle of the Dong Nai Party Organizaion (covering both former Binh Phuoc and former Dong Nai), which grasped the revolutionary opportunity, issued timely and correct decisions, and led the movement swiftly towards final victory.”

He stressed: “By proactively assessing the situation, the provisional Bien Hoa Party Committee and the Thu Dau Mot Party Committee led the people to rapid victory, contributing to the South and the entire nation in seizing power during “once-in-a-thousand-year” opportunity, overthrowing imperialists and feudal puppets, reclaiming independence for Vietnam in general and the Southern people, including Dong Nai, in particular.”

A premise set for the general uprising

Col. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Son Dai added that the Party’s Directive “Japanese and French fighting each other and our action”  issued on March 12, 1945 reflected our creative and timely leadership, seizing the revolutionary opportunity.

“The creativity lay in clearly assessing the situation and seizing the opportunity to lead the struggle properly. The Directive clearly outlined the conditions for an Indochinese uprising while calling for a strong nationwide movement to resist Japan as a premise for the general uprising. This movement could range from non-cooperation, strikes and market boycotts to higher forms such as armed demonstrations and guerrilla actions, and “be ready to shift to a general uprising once conditions were ripe. This was the clearest proof of our strategic vision” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Son Dai analyzed.

Back then, many communist Party members were assigned to operate in Bien Hoa. Some who had been imprisoned escaped and reconnected with local comrades, quickly restoring Party organizations and reviving the movement. From there, communist groups in Bien Hoa, particularly in the town center, began establishing links and cooperation across various activities.

Hoang Minh Chau Street (Tran Bien Ward) was named after the Chairman of the Bien Hoa Uprising Committee during the August Revolution. Photo: Nguyet Ha

To promptly lead the uprising, the Eastern Inter-provincial Party Committee convened a meeting in May 1945 at Vinh Cuu Hamlet, Tam Hiep, Bien Hoa, with representatives from Party organizations of Tay Ninh, Bien Hoa, Thu Dau Mot and Gia Dinh. The meeting disseminated the situation and defined tasks for the revolutionary stage. Attending the conference were Comrades Hoang Minh Chau and Huynh Van Hon from the Bien Hoa Provincial Party Organization. In July 1945, at Tan Mai Pagoda, comrade Ha Huy Giap, representing the Southern Regional Party Committee, met with Hoang Minh Chau and other comrades to convey directives, urging rapid organization and expansion of revolutionary forces in preparation for the general uprising.

According to revolutionary veteran Ngo The Ngan, 97, from Long Thanh Commune, the August Revolution’s rapid success owed not only to 15 years of thorough preparation (1930–1945) but also to the provincial Party’s ability to seize the “once-in-a-millennium” opportunity, affirming the correct policies, political courage and creativity of our Party.

Historical records show that before the August Revolution, the number of communist Party members in the province was small. Yet under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, local Party organizations such as the Communist Party cell of Binh Phuoc–Tan Trieu and the Phu Rieng Do cell, the first Party organizations in the province, grew stronger, leading the revolutionary movement to victories in the pre-uprising period and preparing the conditions for the August general uprising to triumph locally.

“The great victories during the pre-uprising period and the August general uprising came swiftly, underscoring the ingenuity and creativity of the provincial Party organization. By proactively grasping the situation, the Party devised appropriate strategies, adapted flexibly, and guided the revolution to success. The triumphs of both pre-uprising period and the general uprising, culminating in the August Revolution and National Day on September 2, 1945, remain the most vivid testimony to this leadership,” Ngo The Ngan emphasized.

By: Nguyet Ha

Translated by: M.Nguyet-Thu Ha