VIETNAM: HOUR OF THE FURNACES United States itself, through Che Guevara who gave his life in the tage and subterfuge, the grestest economic power in the world struggle, to the martyr Nicolai Didyk who burnt himself to death thousand million dollars of industrial and military might were Three times since the end of the Second World War, the ruling class of the United States has thrown itself against the workers and peasants of Asia.
In 1945 its plan for intervention in China was only thwarted by the millions of American soldiers who refused to serve as cannon foddor in yet another war. In 1950 the United States hurled its might against the people of Korea and left three million dead in its wake. Finally in Vietnam the American ruling class unleashed its most fearful savagery so far.
One hundred and forty thousand million dollars of American war effort was poured into one small country. Twelve million tons of explosives were used by the Americans and their pup pets. After more than 40,000 American dead, four million Indochinese casualties, and ten million refugens, the United States was still unable to break the workers and peasants of Vietnam, Now its puppets are crashing to defeat.
WORLD CHARACTER
The victories in Vietnam, the victories in all Indociina, are not merely the triumph of the magnificent people of these countires. The Indochinese victories are the greatest living exa mple since the Russian Revolution of the world character of the working class revolution. Literally tens and hundreds of millions throughout the world have participated directly or lodirectly in the victory of the struggle in Vietnam. Although the Indochinese people have borne the crushing weight of imperialism's assault, and the overwhelming share of the glory is theirs, they too know that their triumph is only possible because of mass action and pressure throughout the world.
Those who have participated in the struggle range from the hundreds of thousands who marched against the war within tre attempt to open a second front in support of the Indochinese in protest ayainst the refusal of the Soviet bureaucracy to send support brigades to Vietnam. It is one of the proudest episorles in the entire history of the Fourth International that in many countries its sections have been able to play an important role in the development of the world-wide Vietnam solidarity moveSTIR IN But if it was the world-wide development of the soliciarity struggle with Indochina which helped create the conditions, even in a small way, for the triumphs of last week, then we must also understand that this solidarity was never just a moral gesture. No-one was ever more short-sighted than those who considered the tasks of solidarity with Vietnam as secondary in comparison to the intervention in the working class struggles of their own country. Not one single event of the last decade, least of all one single trade union struggle, could have compensated in the slightest for the defeat of the Vietnamese revolution.
The crushing defeat of US military might in Vietnam is the greatest blow ever delivered against the American ruling classi ability to undertake direct military counter-revolutionary activity averywhere in the world. A repeat of the landing of the marines in the Lebanon In 1958, a repeat of the 1965 invasion of the Dominican Republic, are rendered far less likely following the crushing debacle in Indochina. Already the fear of another Vietnam is a factor holding back the American ruling class from its insane schemes for military occupation of the oil states of the Arab East. The next workers" state created anywhere in the world will owe an incalculable debt to the Vietnamese revolution in this sense alone.
THE COLOSSUS WHICH BROKE The war in Indochina struck the American monster in its very economic and social vitals. For seven years through direct armed intervention, and for twenty years through indirect sabosought to crush the people of one small state, Seven hundred thrown against the fighting capacity of one nation and the sympathy of every class-conscious worker in the world, And finally it was the colossus which broke. Its economy could not stand the strain of the war as inflation and expenditure soared. Its 6 VIEW ghettos exploded as its own black workers refused to bear the effects of a war in which their only real interest was to support the other side. Millions of its finest youth rebelled in disgust against mechanised butchery on a scale Hitler or Mussolini could never aven have envisaged.
Finally. Vietnam was the fuse which first relighted a wide consciousness in the imperialist countries of the need for social ist revolution. Millions of people first clearly understood the bankruptcy of the capitalist system through its barbarity in Vietnam. Throughout the world millions of workers, peasants and students saw with their own eyes that the imperialist mon ster could be defeated. In every country in Europe the revolutionary organisations which were later to link themselves with the upsurge of the workers' movement grouped their first large forces from the solidarity struggle with Vietnam. In that very deep sense the mass of revolutionaries in the world today are real children of the Vietnamese revolution, whatever differences we may have with its leadership.
What will come from the third Indochinese war is not the final solution, Many fights, many terrible struggles, many bitter deft ts will be gone through before either the Indochinese people or the world working class finally settle their accounts with world imperialism and the reactionary bureaucracies which it spawns. We will have many future struggles, even with the leadarship of the indochinese workers and peasants. Perhaps through a new phoney peace the victory in Indochina will be postponed for a few months.
But for all time the international revolutionary movement will glory in the triumphs of the Indochinese workers and peasants. It is now that we may grasp to the full the magnificent words of Che Guevara: What grandeur has been shown by this people! What stoicism and valour in this people! And what a lesson for the future their struggle holds! How close and how bright would the future appear if two, three, many Vietnams flowered on the face of the garth: It is the hour of the furnaces and you have only to look to see the glow.
1859 1887 1908 1925 1930 1932 1933 1937 1939 1940 Saigon crushed. French occupation of Saigon and three wrounding provinces, By 1883 whole of Cochin China (South Vietnaml, Toakin (North Vietnami and Annam (Central Vietremi occupied Vietnam and the kingdoms of Loos and Cambodia united to torm the French Indo Chinese Union.' Local insurrection by nationalists, which like further ones in 1812 and 1975 is ruthlessey crushed by French.
Ho Chi Minh founes Hevolutionary Annamite Youth' Nationalist organisation VietNam Cluos Dan Dang leads insurrection at Yen Bay. Soviets formed in Nghe-Ar and Ha Tinh provinces. Indochinese Communist Party formed.
First Vietnamese Tratskyist organisations founded.
United front of Indochinese Comrunist Party and Trotskyists has tao candidates elected in Saigon Strike wave sweeps indochina. Three Indachinese Communist Party Trotskyist united front candidates elected in Saigon. But a fow months later Indochinese Coremanist Party breaks united front with Tratskyists and votes in Saigan Council for 'netiona defence of France. Trotskyists win 80% of vote in Cochin Chins. French commence wave of repression which totally destroys all logal apparatuses of the Trotskyists-and Indochinese Communist Party.
Japanese occupy Indochine. Seventh Plenum of Central Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party decides to orien: toward a united national frant agairist the Japanese and the French, In November insurrection in 1941 1944 1945 1946 1946 1950 1953 1954 1955 1957 1960 Insurrection of ovil guards onu Communiit Party and Trotskyist forces, create the Vietminh First organised army unit of the Giap.
In August Japan surrenders and workers" militias orgonised by thi Saigon and crush workers Vietminh orgenise clections and Ieader Ta Thu Thau murdered H patriot and we mourn him', but line I have laid down will be broi In March France states it will rec French Union. In November Fro Haiphong killing 6,000 people.