Vietnam and the Soviet Union are two countries that have tried to carry out political reforms, but their fates are very different. Vietnam successfully implemented a series of political reforms, while Soviet political reforms ended in disintegration. This article will analyze the reasons for the success of political reform in Vietnam and the failure of political reform in the Soviet Union.
The territory of the USSR
First, the success of Vietnam's political reform is inseparable from its strategic and gradual approach to reform. Vietnam's reforms began with economic reforms, followed by gradual political reforms, allowing a certain degree of economic and social development to support political change. In contrast, when the Soviet Union carried out economic reforms in the late 80s of the last century, it took a more radical approach, trying to transition from a planned economy to a market economy in more than 100 days, and solve all problems at once, but Gorbachev ignored the social and economic realities, which led to the failure of the reform.
Second, another key factor in Vietnam's success is that it maintains a relatively stable core of leadership and political system. The Communist Party of Vietnam has always been the core of the country's leadership, and has always maintained a high level of cohesion and execution, which can effectively lead the country forward. On the contrary, in the Soviet Union, during the Gorbachev era, there was a serious upheaval in the political system, Gorbachev and Yeltsin fought for power, and the collapse of the leadership core led to a political power vacuum, which plunged reforms into chaos and stagnation. The national separatist forces in the Soviet Union have always been with them, and the high-pressure policy of the Stalin period made them disappear for a time, and Gorbachev's political reform, the relaxed political environment created, and the resurgence of the separatist forces, at the same time, Gorbachev emphasized "openness" and "multi-party system", which led to the gradual loss of the rights of the CPSU, and the power of the Central Committee of the Union was also delegated to the union republics, and finally buried the whole country.
Gorbachev and Yeltsin
In addition, Vietnam's policy of opening up to the outside world has provided important support for its political reforms. In the early days of reform and opening up, Vietnam actively attracted foreign investment, introduced foreign technology and management experience, and accelerated its economic development. At the same time, Viet Nam has also learned from and borrowed some democratic systems and management models from the outside world, and has gradually promoted the reform of its political system. However, the Soviet Union's long-term closed policy made it lack foreign experience and resource support in political reform, which led to obstacles and difficulties in reform, and the Soviet Union's economic reform did not introduce foreign capital to revitalize the economy.
Finally, the success of Vietnam's political reform is also due to the favorable conditions of its historical and cultural traditions. Vietnam has a long history and cultural traditions, and strong social stability and unity, which provides a good social foundation for political reform. In contrast, the Soviet Union's long period of authoritarian rule led to social divisions and contradictions, limiting the space and possibilities for political reform, and the conservative forces in the Soviet Union, led by Vice President Yanayev, have always opposed reform.
Government of Vietnam
To sum up, the success of Vietnam's political reform stems from its gradual nature, the stability of the leadership core, the openness to the outside world, and the support of historical and cultural traditions. On the contrary, the failure of political reform in the Soviet Union was caused by the impatience and chaos of the reform process, the collapse of the leadership core, the closed foreign policy, and the constraints of historical and cultural traditions. These lessons have important implications for other countries as they embark on political reforms, emphasizing the importance of gradual moderation, openness and inclusiveness, maintaining order and respecting traditional cultures.