“Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” - ‘Unity in Diversity’ - that is Indonesia’s national motto. But what happens when respect for that diversity collapses? That’s exactly what happened in 1965 when a wave of violence swept across the nation taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Today on A Day In History, we’ll take you through the horrific Indonesian Mass Killings of 1965 and 1966. From the coup that started it all through the mass graves and executions, and the US support that enabled it all.

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Indonesia under Sukarno

Indonesia in the 1960s was caught in a delicate balancing act at home and abroad. President Sukarno, a hero of Indonesian independence and the President since 1945, had consolidated the political, ethnic, and religious interests of his people into a relatively stable government. He had also forged a successful middle-path in the Cold War, maintaining good relations with both Moscow and Washington while being a leading light in the global Non-Aligned Movement.

At home, Sukarno was concerned with maintaining balance between the three most powerful forces in Indonesian politics, which he once called the “three spirits” of his country: Islam, communism, and nationalism (or more accurately the military).

Indonesia’s Communist Party (PKI) boasted an estimated 2 million or more members, making it the largest non-ruling Communist party in the world. Communists had tried and failed to revolt before in 1948, but their sheer popularity kept them relevant and powerful. While Sukarno himself was no Communist, he had left-leaning tendencies that kept the Communists from outright opposing him.

As a Muslim and the figurehead of the independence movement, Sukarno enjoyed reliable support from devoted Muslims and nationalists, although both had their reservations about him. More importantly, both groups deeply distrusted the communists. The right-leaning nationalists and military brass had a natural distaste for them, and Communism’s alternative morality and hostility to religion made it plenty of enemies among the Muslim faithful.

Sukarno was good at this balancing act for a while, but in 1965, that balance broke down and millions suffered for it.

#indonesia #history #theactofkilling

Music: Epidemic Music

Sources:

A.A.M. Djelantik, The Birthmark: Memoirs of a Balinese Prince, (1997)

Adrian Vickers, A History of Modern Indonesia, (2005)

Geoffrey Robnison, The Killing Season: A History of the Indonesian Massacres, 1965-66, (2018)

John Roosa, Pretext for Mass Murder: The September 30th Movement and Suharto’s Coup d’Etat in Indonesia, (2006)

Katherine McGregor, Jess Melvin, and Annie Pohlman (eds.), The Indonesian Genocide of 1965: Cause, Dynamics, and Legacies, (2018)

Robert Gellately and Ben Kiernan (eds.), The Spectre of Genocide: Mass Murder in Historical Perspective, (2003)

Vincent Bevins, The Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World, (2020)

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