Logan Staub
Honors English II
Period 2
2/21/18
The Mass Killings of Indonesia: Were They Justified?
During the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s, Indonesia suffered economic and political turmoil. Indonesia suffered a drastic drop in their exportation, which led to a decline in their economy. Alongside their unstable economy, a political uprising was beginning. Riots and coup attempts spread throughout the country, which intensified when, in 1965, a group of communists known as the 30 September Movement, killed six senior army generals (McGregor). In the months that followed the attack, the government murdered hundreds of thousands of communists in an attempt to silence them, in which they believed that they were justified. (Cribb and Ford). …show more content…
Rumors were circulating saying that there was going to be a coup attempt. The government heard of these rumors and perceived them to be threats against the government, causing them to be more cautious of the communists than they were before. Alongside the threats of a coup, the government was on edge after president Sukarno collapsed during an event due to sickness. The government viewed this as the perfect time to perform a coup, which escalated the tensions and caused the government to be on the lookout, even though they missed the most important attack that caused the …show more content…
During the evening hours of the thirtieth, the communists gathered at Jakarta and discussed their plan to kidnap and kill the generals in the early hours of the next morning. By dawn on October 1st, the plan was executed and they successfully kidnapped and killed six army generals, with the seventh general escaping. The Indonesia Communist Party was not affiliated with them, while the army disagreed. The army perceived the events as a coup attempt by the PKI to gain power. The army strongly believed that if they didn’t do anything, the communists would eventually overthrow the government and create a communist state, so they began a mission to eliminate the communist threat in Indonesia by means of
Honors English II
Period 2
2/21/18
The Mass Killings of Indonesia: Were They Justified?
During the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s, Indonesia suffered economic and political turmoil. Indonesia suffered a drastic drop in their exportation, which led to a decline in their economy. Alongside their unstable economy, a political uprising was beginning. Riots and coup attempts spread throughout the country, which intensified when, in 1965, a group of communists known as the 30 September Movement, killed six senior army generals (McGregor). In the months that followed the attack, the government murdered hundreds of thousands of communists in an attempt to silence them, in which they believed that they were justified. (Cribb and Ford). …show more content…
Rumors were circulating saying that there was going to be a coup attempt. The government heard of these rumors and perceived them to be threats against the government, causing them to be more cautious of the communists than they were before. Alongside the threats of a coup, the government was on edge after president Sukarno collapsed during an event due to sickness. The government viewed this as the perfect time to perform a coup, which escalated the tensions and caused the government to be on the lookout, even though they missed the most important attack that caused the …show more content…
During the evening hours of the thirtieth, the communists gathered at Jakarta and discussed their plan to kidnap and kill the generals in the early hours of the next morning. By dawn on October 1st, the plan was executed and they successfully kidnapped and killed six army generals, with the seventh general escaping. The Indonesia Communist Party was not affiliated with them, while the army disagreed. The army perceived the events as a coup attempt by the PKI to gain power. The army strongly believed that if they didn’t do anything, the communists would eventually overthrow the government and create a communist state, so they began a mission to eliminate the communist threat in Indonesia by means of