Nguyễn Văn Linh
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| “ | It is not objectively necessary to establish a political mechanism of pluralism and multiparty government. Socialism is the only right decision. | „ |
| ~ Nguyễn Văn Linh |
Nguyễn Văn Linh (July 1, 1915 - April 27, 1998) originally known as Nguyễn Văn Cúc was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician who would later become the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1986 until his resignation in 1991 due to poor health.
During his time in office, Linh was a strong advocate of "Đổi Mới" (renovation), an economic plan whose aim is to turn Vietnam economy into a socialist-oriented market economy. As such, Linh was often touted as the "Vietnamese Gorbachev" after the Soviet leader, who introduced Perestroika.
Biography edit
Nguyễn was born on 1 July 1915 originally known as Nguyễn Văn Cúc until he later changed his name to Nguyễn Văn Linh. During the Vietnam War Nguyễn served in the Viet Cong as the Chairman of the Central Office from 1961 to 1964 during the first few years during the war. He directed guerrilla warfare against both American and South Vietnamese troops throughout the war, he also specialized in propaganda. He trained Viet Cong spies and directed the Tet Offensive in 1968. But most of the time his duties are often more organizational rather than militaristic. After the Vietnam War, he became part of the communist party politburo, and later became the Secretary of the Communist party chief in Saigon and favored a slow transition in the capitol. But as a party politician, he was opposed to Lê Duẩn's policies and apparently had repeated arguments with Lê which prevented him from rising any further in the ranks within the communist party until he was later removed from the politburo and resigned from the party as a result of an argument regarding the future fate of the former South Vietnamese capital of Saigon as he had firmly defended the city.
In 1986, after the death of Lê Duẩn, Nguyễn was brought back into the politburo and continued to rise through the ranks. On the 18th of December in 1986, He later became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, demoting Trường Chinh from his position as the party leader for the second time. After coming to power, he introduced the Đổi Mới policy which turned the economy of Vietnam into a Socialist-oriented market economy that it is today.
In the political sphere, Linh tried to improve relations with both the United States and China. In 1990, he secretly visited China, becoming the first Vietnamese leader to do so since the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. In 1989, he ordered the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Cambodia, where they had been sent to remove Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. However, as far as domestic policy is concerned, Linh felt there was little need for change. "It is not objectively necessary to establish a political mechanism of pluralism and multiparty government," he stated, while always referring to Western-style democratic systems as "demagogic bourgeois democracies". He criticised the old communist policies, blaming them on corrupt leaders. Thus, Linh's policies were the constant target of criticism from the more conservative elements in the Communist Party.
Throughout his term in office, many senior Vietnamese communist officials (such as Lê Đức Thọ & etc.) including the 2 remaining North Vietnamese leaders (President Trường Chinh and Premier Phạm Văn Đồng) were forced to resign from their offices as more moderates and liberals (including various former Viet Cong leaders) take over senior government positions. But however he also had plenty of tensions with his own competitors and allies as well. A fellow former Viet Cong commander Võ Văn Kiệt, who was one of his allies within the party, He constantly attacked Võ criticizing him along with many other party members throughout the remainder of the 1980s. But however his grip on power would not last as he apparently had suffered a stroke in 1989, and his health problems would eventually lead to his resignation on the 28th of June 1991 as a result of his health problems. He was then succeeded by Premier Đỗ Mười who promised to continue pursuing his policies of changing and reforming Vietnam into a market economy.
Nguyễn remained in the party as an advisor throughout the remainder of his life until he eventually died on 17 April, 1998 at the age of 82. But however, his contributions to the reformation in Vietnam with his Đổi Mới policy still had an effect on Vietnam as a market economy that it is today.