People's Revolutionary Party (Vietnam)
Encyclopedia
The People's Revolutionary Party was a political party
in South Vietnam
established in 1962. It provided leadership for the Vietcong uprising. In 1976, the party was merged with the Worker's Party of North Vietnam to form the Communist Party of Vietnam
.
The PRP was founded on January 1, 1962. Its foundation was publicly announced by Radio Hanoi
on January 18, 1962. The stated goals of the party was to combat imperialism
, feudalism
and colonialism
. PRP was not an explicitly communist party
, but according to the January 18 Radio Hanoi broadcast, it represented the Marxist-Leninists
in South Vietnam. PRP was led by a Central Committee
, often referred to as 'Central Office, South Vietnam' (COSVN). The smallest organizational unit of PRP was the cell. 1-7 cells constituted a chi bo, the street or hamlet level organization of the party. PRP was the leading force in the National Liberation Front (Vietcong). Both at national and local levels PRP committees led the NLF work. In the Central Committee there were three main responsibilities, Military Commissar (coordinating the relations with the North Vietnamese Army), NLF control and general administration. Vo Chi Cong
was party chairman.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
established in 1962. It provided leadership for the Vietcong uprising. In 1976, the party was merged with the Worker's Party of North Vietnam to form the Communist Party of Vietnam
Communist Party of Vietnam
The Communist Party of Vietnam , formally established in 1930, is the governing party of the nation of Vietnam. It is today the only legal political party in that country. Describing itself as Marxist-Leninist, the CPV is the directing component of a broader group of organizations known as the...
.
The PRP was founded on January 1, 1962. Its foundation was publicly announced by Radio Hanoi
Radio Hanoi
Radio Hanoi was a propaganda radio station run by the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War.In September 1967, Radio Hanoi transmitted a message by General Võ Nguyên Giáp entitled "The Big Victory, The Great Task". Unbenknownst to Americans listening to the message, it was actually an...
on January 18, 1962. The stated goals of the party was to combat imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
, feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
and colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
. PRP was not an explicitly communist party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
, but according to the January 18 Radio Hanoi broadcast, it represented the Marxist-Leninists
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
in South Vietnam. PRP was led by a Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
, often referred to as 'Central Office, South Vietnam' (COSVN). The smallest organizational unit of PRP was the cell. 1-7 cells constituted a chi bo, the street or hamlet level organization of the party. PRP was the leading force in the National Liberation Front (Vietcong). Both at national and local levels PRP committees led the NLF work. In the Central Committee there were three main responsibilities, Military Commissar (coordinating the relations with the North Vietnamese Army), NLF control and general administration. Vo Chi Cong
Vo Chi Cong
Võ Chí Công was a Vietnamese Communist political figure and one-time President of Vietnam.-Early life and political activities:Võ Chí Công was born Võ Toàn in Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam, in 1912...
was party chairman.