Viet Minh
League for Independence of Vietnam Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | Việt Minh |
| Leader |
|
| Governing body | Viet Minh General Department (Tổng bộ Việt Minh) |
| Director of General Department | Nguyễn Lương Bằng (1941–1951) |
| Secretary of General Department |
|
| Members of General Department | |
| Founder | Indochinese Communist Party |
| Founded | 19 May 1941 (85 years, 113 days) |
| Dissolved | 10 September 1955 (70 years, 364 days) |
| Preceded by | Anti-imperialist National United Front of Indochina (Mặt trận Thống nhất Dân tộc Phản đế Đông Dương) |
| Succeeded by |
|
| Headquarters | Pác Bó, Cao Bằng |
| Newspaper | Cứu Quốc (National Salvation) |
| Armed wing | People's Army of Vietnam |
| Ideology | |
| Slogan | phản Pháp – kháng Nhật – liên Hoa – độc lập[1] "Oppose France – Resist Japan – Ally with China – Independence" |
| Party flag | |
.svg) | |
The Việt Minh (Vietnamese: [vîət mīŋ̟] ⓘ, chữ Hán: 越盟), officially the League for Independence of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh[2] or Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh Hội, chữ Hán: 越南獨立同盟(會), lit. 'Vietnamese Independence Alliance/Allied Association'; French: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam), was a communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Ho Chi Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Front (Mặt trận Việt Minh), it was established by the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) as a united front to achieve Vietnamese independence, the first step in a communist revolutionary project. With the collapse of Japanese authority at the close of World War II, the front moved swiftly to proclaim the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV), the predecessor of today's Socialist Republic of Vietnam.[3][4]
The ICP presented the Viet Minh as a broad-based coalition comprising various political groups. Accommodation of noncommunists, including the colonial-trained bureaucracy and officials of the Empire of Vietnam, initially helped bring the Viet Minh to power in 1945,[5] but it also blunted the communist core's ability to implement radical socioeconomic policies.[6] After 1950, with the recognition and assistance of communist China and the Soviet Union, the party purged remaining bourgeois elements.[7]
Following the Japanese occupation completed in 1941, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the Republic of China, and later from the US Office of Strategic Services. After World War II, the Việt Minh established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and opposed the re-occupation of Vietnam by the French Union, resulting in the First Indochina War. It also opposed non-communist Vietnamese nationalists, such as the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng, during civil conflicts, and later opposed the State of Vietnam as well as its successor, the Republic of Vietnam. Until 1948,[8] the Việt Minh advocated putting aside the issue of class struggle and dictatorship of the proletariat to focus on gaining sovereignty for Vietnam. However, the organization's stance changed after being recognized by communist China and the Soviet Union in January 1950.[9]
The political leader of Việt Minh was Ho Chi Minh. The military element was under the command of Võ Nguyên Giáp. Other founders were Lê Duẩn and Phạm Văn Đồng.
The Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh is not to be confused with the Việt Nam Cách mệnh Đồng minh Hội (League for the Vietnamese Revolution, abbreviated as Việt Cách) which was founded by Nguyễn Hải Thần. Việt Cách later briefly joined the Vietnamese National Coalition in 1946.
Today, the Vietnam Fatherland Front – a socio-political coalition led by the Communist Party of Vietnam forming the Vietnamese government – is recognized as the modern incarnation of the Việt Minh front in current Vietnamese politics.
Foundation
[edit]The League for Independence of Vietnam (Viet Minh) was founded on 19 May 1941 in Pác Bó, Cao Bằng province (in northern Vietnam).[10] Ho Chi Minh was the founder and his Indochinese Communist Party was the main leadership organization within Viet Minh.[11]
Leadership
[edit]Ho Chi Minh was the highest leader. Nguyễn Lương Bằng was appointed as the Direct of the General Department (from 1941 to 1951).[12] Hoàng Văn Thụ was appointed as the Secretary of the General Department (from 1941 to 1943 when he was captured by colonial French), and then Hoàng Quốc Việt took over the position (from 1943 to 1951).[13]
Nguyen Luong Bang, Hoang Van Thu and Hoang Quoc Viet were members of the Communist Party.
Organization
[edit]At the national level, Viet Minh is governed by the General Department (Tổng bộ).[14] Further down there were executive committees in provinces and cities; and executive commissions in communes.
However, due to political turmoil and civil unrest at the time, plus conflicts with Japanese and French forces, the Viet Minh's General Department was not completely elected.[14] Hence the details about members of the General Department were very scarce and not fully understood.
Viet Minh established strongholds in northern and central Vietnam.[15][16] But in southern Vietnam, Viet Minh faced many challengers such as Cao Đài, Hòa Hảo (religious sects) and Bình Xuyên (armed group).[17][page needed][16]
Components
[edit]Main members
[edit]The founding and core members of Viet Minh were the communists. Other non-communists also joined the front.
Indochinese Communist Party:[18][15] the General Secretary was Trường Chinh
Democratic Party of Vietnam:[19] the Secretary-General was Duong Duc Hien; joined in 1944
Socialist Party of Vietnam:[20] the Secretary-General was Phan Tu Nghia; joined in 1946
Vanguard Youth:[21] the chairman was Pham Ngoc Thach; joined in 1945. A small number of organization's leaders joined other political organizations.
Bình Xuyên Force:[22] the Commander was Dương Văn Dương; joined in 1945. A faction led by Lê Văn Viễn did not follow the Việt Minh and later supported the State of Vietnam and France
National Salvation Army:[23] the Commander was Chu Văn Tấn; merged with the Propaganda Unit of the Liberation Army into Vietnam Liberation Army in 1945
Other opposite parties
[edit]Even though many opposite parties fought against Viet Minh, many of their members joined Viet Minh and worked with the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Revolutionary League of Vietnam (Viet Cach):[24][25] Dinh Chuong Duong, Bo Xuan Luat, Ho Duc Thanh, Truong Trung Phung...
Vietnamese Nationalist Party (Viet Quoc):[26][27][28] Phan Khôi, Chu Ba Phuong, Truc Khe...
National Independent Party of Vietnam:[29] Ngo Tan Nhon
Vietnamese Trotskyists (Fourth Internationals):
