1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The Stay in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Welcome to this Day in History Class, where 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: we bring you a new tidbit from history every day. 4 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: Today is October one, nineteen. The day was October one, nineteen. 5 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: A group of Indonesian National Armed Forces members killed six 6 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 1: high ranking Indonesian Army generals in a field coup in Jakarta. 7 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: The army linked the assassinations to the Indonesian Communist Party, 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: and for the next several weeks, the military detained and 9 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: killed hundreds of thousands of communists, alleged communists, and their sympathizers. 10 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: The coup led to Indonesia's first President, Sukarno being put 11 00:00:56,520 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: on house arrest in General Suharto being appointed to the presidency. 12 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: President Sukardina had begun promoting the system of guided democracy 13 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: since he believed parliamentary democracy was ineffective in Indonesia. As 14 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,399 Speaker 1: he began implementing a form of socialist populism, he attempted 15 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: to balance relations with the military, communists, and religious groups. 16 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: He supported the Indonesian Communist Party and the army, which 17 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,479 Speaker 1: was largely anti communist, though many in the military did 18 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: support communism. Land reforms which the Communist Party pressured Sucardineau 19 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: to implement were a major source of tension between the party, 20 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: Muslim religious leaders, and the people who controlled the land. 21 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: As the Indonesian Communist Party gained more influence, seeds of 22 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: doubt grew among army members who were suspicious of the 23 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: party's intentions and religious groups who were unsure of the 24 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: party's views. Sukarine became more anti imperialist and champion econom 25 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: make independence for Indonesia, but the economy declined due to 26 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: a lack of effective policy. Western nations encouraged anti communist 27 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,079 Speaker 1: efforts against the Indonesian Communist Party, Sucardino and the left. 28 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty five, the Indonesian Communist Party had three 29 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: million members and was the third largest communist party in 30 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: the world, but by this time there were rumors that 31 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: senior army generals were planning a coup against Sukarno. In 32 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: the early morning hours of October one, thirtieth September Movement 33 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: kidnapped and murdered six of Indonesia's top military generals. The 34 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: movement members announced over the radio that they had seized 35 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: power to protect the president and prevent a military coup. 36 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: The leader of the movement, Lieutenant Colonel Untun, told listeners 37 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: that the president was safe, that generals had been arrested, 38 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 1: and that there was about to be a new revolutionary government. 39 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: But the coup was crushed quickly. The army claimed that 40 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: the Communist Party was responsible for the coup attempt. At 41 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 1: the time, there was not much evidence that the party 42 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: had any involvement in the action against the military, but 43 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: General Suharto, commander of the Army Strategic Reserve, capitalized on 44 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: anti communist sentiment and quickly launched propagandistic attacks against communists. 45 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: He shut down a communist and left his publications, while 46 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: pro army publications flourished. The pro army press circulated stories 47 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: that the murdered generals had been tortured and mutilated. Through 48 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: this campaign, the army inflamed anti communist feelings and convinced 49 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: people that the party was complicit in a huge conspiracy. 50 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: The military took the opportunity to eliminate the political power 51 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: of communism in Indonesia, which it perceived as a threat. 52 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: The army, police and civilian militias imprisoned and killed communists 53 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: and their supporters in Jakarta, Central and East Java and 54 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: ball as well as parts of other islands. The death 55 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: toll has been estimated at at least half a million people. 56 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: It was later discovered that some leaders in the Indonesian 57 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: Communist Party did play a role in planning the coup, 58 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: but most people in the party did not know about it. 59 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: There are many conspiracy theories around exactly who planned the 60 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: thirty of September movement and what its goal was. The 61 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: Communist Party was banned in Indonesia in nineteen sixty five 62 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 1: and has been ever since, along with any public discussion 63 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: of the massacre. The military dictatorship that soon took over, 64 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 1: led by Suharto, rolled Indonesia until night. With Western support. 65 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 1: Indonesia became pro Western and the downfall of communism in 66 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:50,839 Speaker 1: Indonesia benefited capitalist countries. I'm Eve Deaf Code and hopefully 67 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: you know a little more about history today than you 68 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If there are any upcoming days in history 69 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: that you'd really like me to cover on the show, 70 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: give a the shout on social media at t d 71 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,719 Speaker 1: i h V podcast. We'll see you here in the 72 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: same place tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, 73 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app Apple podcasts, or wherever you 74 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.