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[Nguyen Tat Thanh and Thanh Nien :
4) Revolutionary theory and Strategy :
Thanh Nien's revolutionary theory was Marxism-Leninism. Thanh accepted
Lenin's dictum that "without a revolutionary theory, there can be no
revolutionary movement". In "DDu+o+`ng ca'ch ma.ng" (The road to
revolution), Thanh contended that failures in other resistance movements
were caused by lack of a revolutionary theory; in other words, Viet
patriots did not have any ideology or a plan of action. To Thanh, the
rightest ideology was Marxism-Leninism. People did not know why Thanh
lost self-esteem as a Viet and must assert that only communism could save
Vietnam. Thanh Nien at first depended upon a theoretical perspective, not
on the personal fortune of any leader and that was why the ICP could
survive through troubles happening to Thanh and other leaders. Thanh Nien
had also a strategy designed for (1) armed insurrection leading to
overthrow the French rule and (2) the establishment of communist power.
It's no doubt that behind Thanh Nien and Thanh was the whole communist
movement well-organized and led by Russia which supported training, money
and coordination on international scale. Vietnam would be sooner or
later out of colonialism as any colonized countries after the WW II, but
fell into communism. Thanh dedicated life for this theory; through Thanh
Nien, revolutionary theory was placed before Viet people which were merely
means, not goal.
Thanh prepared a strategy composing 3 phases as follow :
A. Phase One :
a. Outside Vietnam : establishing a training center to attract young
Viets and at the same time to sow seed of Marxism-Leninism into them.
Creating a propaganda system through journals. Setting up liason network
between Vietnam and overseas communists and sympathizers. Communist
orthodoxy was a must and disciplines were directed by the Central Bureau
(To^?ng bo^.) of Thanh Nien in Canton.
b. Inside Vietnam : creation of abundant communist cells. Each new
recruit became the first element of another new cell. Sections were
formed and this procedure would come up progressively to a homogeneous and
well-disciplined party.
B. Phase Two : also called agitational or semi-secret phase. Disguised
organs with sufficient militants would initiate political, economic chaos
and terrorist activities like workers' strikes, student demonstrations or
boycotts of classes, and market strikes which were accompanied by grenade
or bomb throwings, when necessary, in order to excite the masses and sow
seeds of hatred. It's no doubt that Thanh's organization used the same
methods in South Vietnam after 1954.
C. Phase Three : also called insurrectionary phase where all cadres
coming up to light and other sympathisers in all social strata would
initiate activities to overthrow the government. This phase was to
achieve 3 successive tasks : (1) overthrow the regime; (2) disseminate
propaganda among segments of the population unaffiliated with
revolutionary activities; (3) reorganize the society according to
communist principles.
Communism spreading in Vietnam let many naive but energetic youth
movements switch from traditional patriotism and nationalism to a new and
attractive ideal of Marxism-Leninism which became pivot of an
international revolutionary movement originating from Moscow against
capitalist imperialism. These new youth were convinced that Phan Boi Chau
and Phan Chu Trinh's works were merely heroic but futile efforts. From
1927 onwards, anyone talking about Marxism-Leninism not nationalism might
be seen as progressive.
In actuality, Thanh's training programs were basic and good enough to
prepare for trainees with preliminary knowledge about revolutionary theory
(Marxism-Leninism) and agitprop techniques. In general, students were
taught that if one wants to do revolution he must learn Marxism-Leninism.
Vietnam was a feudal society and colonized by the French, then it needed
this doctrine to kick the French out and next, erase feudalism. To do
these things, one should know how to use laborers and peasants by whatever
means. Was it part of nationalism ? In reality, Thanh just applied
Lenin's teachings and what he was trained in Moscow, then changed it
properly to fit with the situation of Vietnam. However, one can recognize
that Thanh, when really determining to accept Lenin's thought and applying
to Vietnam for what motives, met some demands from some Viet youth who
were young, easy and ready to accept attractive ideals without having any
experience that it would bring Vietnam from this abyss to another one.
Canton was then the capital of Sun-Yat-Sen's Kuomintang. After Sun died
in 1925, the relation between the Kuomintang and the CCP became worse;
then the Kuomintang Right dismantled the alliance and turned against the
Chinese communists. Due to this, in around 4/1927, Thanh fled to Moscow
thanks to a tip. The CCP organized a "Worker-Peasant-Sodier Soviet"
against the Kuomintang Right but the latter suppressed it soon. Thanh
Nien having connection with the CCP had its activities at a halt but its
newspaper Thanh Nien still existed until mid-1929.]
(continued)