The Russian October Revolution 1917 had a great influence on the whole world and supported hundreds of nations to stand up against the yoke of imperialism, gain national independence, and decide the development process of human history. Therefore, the argument that the Russian October Revolution was "a mistake of history" is counter-revolutionary and totally invalid.

The success of the Russian October Revolution is a prominent event of the twentieth century, with profound epochal significance, and in line with the laws of movement and objective development of the history of human society. Its historical necessity is undeniable and increasingly affirmed in human life. However, hostile forces still tried to attack and distort it with the argument that: The October Revolution was "a mistake of history" both in terms of the cause of the revolution, its process as well as its products which is the birth and existence of the new social regime over the past 100 years.

Reality has proven that the Russian October Revolution was an inevitable result of the contradictions of the early twentieth century between the capitalist and the proletariat; between the landlords and the peasants; between the Russian Empire and the oppressed peoples; between the Russian empire and the Western imperialist countries right in the Russian society. That background created the objective premises, leading to revolutionary situations and opportunities. A revolution breaking out in such circumstances cannot be called an "anti-democratic riot", or a "premature birth" like the distortion of hostile forces. And it was because of the movement of those contradictions that the Marxist theory that the proletarian revolution "will take place simultaneously in all civilised countries, at least, in England, America, France and Germany" was developed and supplemented by the theory that "socialism can prevail first in a few capitalist countries or even in only one capitalist country". Theory was intertwined with practice, reflecting the specific characteristics of contemporary Russia, clearly showing the nature of imperialism and the uneven development law of capitalism. Thus, the Russian October Revolution is ripe in both theory and practice, well meeting the urgent requirements of history, and cutting off the weakest link in the chain of imperialism. Although the revolution broke out not in the same contexts and conditions predicted by K. Marx, it was triggered in a place where contradictions converged, with the full preparation of forces made by the working class and the Bolshevik Party of Russia. The victory of the revolution resulted from the lawful development of ideology and practice in the history of the struggle of the worker class and the working people.

A file photo illustraiting the Russian October Revolution

On the other hand, after the February Revolution of 1917, There existed two governments in Russia at the same time, namely: the Provisional Government of the bourgeoisie and the Soviets of workers and soldiers. The provisional government, after taking power, did not implement the promises it had made: land for the peasants, jobs for the workers, food shortages, but pursued imperial wars and declared to take all necessary measures to destroy the uprising in Petrograd. Faced with that particularly serious and extremely urgent situation, V.I. Lenin and the Russian Bolshevik Party showed their ingenuity in the art of seizing opportunities, waging an uprising on the night of October 24, overthrowing the bourgeois provisional government, protecting the Soviets, and winning the revolution. This is the basis for affirming that: the Russian October Revolution is absolutely not an "anti-democratic riot", a "usurpation", nor a "premature birth" in both theory and practice like what hostile forces claim and distort. In fact, this is a loyal and creative development of Marxist theory and the vivid realisation of Marxism in practice. It is the inevitable result of the laws of movement and objective development of the history of human society.

Moreover, the process and results of the Russian October Revolution showed that: for the first time in human history, the workers and peasants, labourers from the status of slaves rose up to become masters and took over the leadership role to build a new social regime, just like V.I. Lenin said: it was the revolution that "gained Russia from the hands of the rich to hand it over to the poor, from the hands of the exploiters to hand it over to the working people". With the inception of the world's first worker-peasant state, the October Revolution was the greatest historical event of the twentieth century, becoming a symbol of belief and stimulating the revolutionary movement of oppressed peoples and peoples all over the world.

As a revolution of the working people, carried out by the working people, taking power from "the hands of the exploiters and handing it over to the workers", the Russian October Revolution was full of human and progress value, so it can’t be judged as a "historical deviation" like what hostile forces said. In their argument, the October Revolution, that abolished the oppressive and exploiting regime, established a new social system - the socialist regime, in which socio-political power and ownership belong to the working class and the toiling people, is "contrary to the laws of history", is "distraction from history". This is a reactionary, anti-scientific and extremely dangerous thesis that not only deliberately "distorts" the objective development trend of history, but also justifies the "eternal" existence of capitalism.

It should be noted that: society always evolves in accordance with objective laws, not depending on anyone's subjective will. Humankind has gone through four socio-economic forms and is transitioning into the communist socio-economic form, just like the Marxist-Leninist theory on socio-economic form pointed out: "The development of socio-economic forms is a natural-historical process". The October Revolution is a historical logic, an inevitable product of that "natural-historical process". It cannot be judged as a "mistake of history", or a "deviation of history". And the collapse of Soviet-model socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe cannot be cited to announce the "end of socialism". It has been proven in reality that with  more than a century of development, socialism has brought about both great achievements and heavy losses. But its pre-eminent, humanistic nature and great achievements in human history are undeniable. This is evidenced by the fact that currently, a number of countries, such as: China, Cuba, Vietnam, etc., are continuing the socialist path, giving socialism a new dynamic, creative and more prosperous face.

Although there are still many difficulties and complications, socialism still proves itself a reality. It has been renewed, built and developed on the basis of creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism in the new circumstances of each country. Despite ups and downs, socialism will inevitably be victorious in the struggle to affirm its legal existence. This proves the immortal vitality of the values of the October Revolution and Marxism-Leninism in human life. It is not only an inevitable product of history, but also a factor that promotes and determines the development direction of human social history, which is socialism.

The goal of liberating people from the yoke of oppression and exploitation, bringing people to power, and bringing a life of freedom and true happiness to the masses by the way outlined by the October Revolution is real in the world and in Vietnam. Socialism is still the future of mankind. The Vietnamese revolution under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, over the past nine decades, has gained victory by victory. At present, “We have achieved great achievements of historical significance, stronger and more comprehensive development compared to the previous years of renovation. Our country has never had the opportunity, potential, position and international prestige as today. This is a vivid reality that affirms the values, legitimacy and vitality of the Russian October Revolution.

The path to socialism that the October Revolution opened was correct, in accordance with the laws of history, not "fantasy", "unrealistic", not "mistakes of the past" as fabrications and distortions of hostile forces. The thesis that the Russian October Revolution is "a mistake of history" that hostile forces deliberately set up is reactionary, anti-scientific, unhistorical, and bound to be bankrupted by the values and vitality of the October Revolution and the development of socialism in the world.

Assoc Prof, PhD. NGUYEN MANH HUONG and MSc. LUU VAN THUAN