1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Hello everyone, it's Eves checking in here to let you 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:04,920 Speaker 1: know that you're going to be hearing two different events 3 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: in history in this episode, one from me and one 4 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: from Tracy V. Wilson. They're both good, if I do 5 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: say so myself. One with the show, Welcome to this 6 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 1: day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot Com 7 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: and from the desk of Stuff You Missed in History Class. 8 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 1: It's the show where we explore the past one day 9 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: at a time with a quick look at what happened 10 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 11 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: Tracy V. Wilson and it's October one. On this day. 12 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: In nineteen nine, Mao Zadong established the People's Republic of China. 13 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,919 Speaker 1: Mao Zadong was born in Hunan Province on December eight, 14 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: and at that point China was still under imperial rule. 15 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: The emperor abdicated in nineteen twelve following a revolution when 16 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: Mao was eighteen. He trained as a teacher for a 17 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: time before working at a university library in Beijing, and 18 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: he became interested in Marxism and then in one he 19 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: became a founder member of the Chinese Communist Party or 20 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: the CCP. Between nineteen and nineteen forty nine, the CCP 21 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: was sometimes allied with, but sometimes at war with another party, 22 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: the Koming Tang Nationalist Party or KMT. The CCP and 23 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: the KMT united to drive war lords out from northern 24 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: China and to fight Japan during the Second Sino Japanese War, 25 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 1: and that ran from nineteen thirty seven to nineteen forty five. 26 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: But between those two events and before and after, they 27 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: were not united. They were adversaries. After the Sino Japanese 28 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: War ended, the CCP and the KMT went to war 29 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: against each other, and the CCP one that is when 30 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: on October one of nineteen forty nine, Male founded the 31 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: People's Republic of China. At this point, China was very poor. 32 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: It was the mostly a grarian nation that was covering 33 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: from years and years of warfare. At first, the government's 34 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: primary goal of this newly established People's for Public of 35 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: China was just to recover from the war. There was 36 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: widespread damage to both the nation's agricultural and industrial systems. 37 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: They got support in this from the Soviet Union, and 38 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: they followed the Soviet Union's model on how to modernize 39 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: both industry and the economy, and the process of all 40 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: this modernization and all this recovery, China moved from a 41 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: capitalist supply and demand model to a socialist model, and 42 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: China nationalized a lot of its industries. By nineteen fifty six, 43 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: virtually all of the major industries in China were either 44 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: state owned or joint public private enterprises, and then by 45 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: ninety seven almost all of China's farms were part of 46 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:45,519 Speaker 1: a collective. In a lot of ways, these first five 47 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: years were a success. There were good harvests, there were 48 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: a lot of modernizations. People got better farm equipment, that 49 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: sort of thing. But at the same time, all of 50 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: these modernizations really strained the Chinese economy. There's good harvest 51 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: were paired with a population boom, so while the harvests 52 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: were bigger, there were also more people to feed. All 53 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: the improvements propelled the nation forward faster than the agriculture 54 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: and the infrastructure could keep up. The government had achieved 55 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: its goals, but the people of China a lot of 56 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: times felt like they were not better off than before, 57 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: and this led to the first of many attempts at 58 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: wide scale reforms that Chairman Mau implemented while he was 59 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: ruling China. These were often efforts to completely change the 60 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: People's Republic of China and the way its government worked. 61 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: The Chinese government under Mao Zadog built new hospitals and 62 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: schools and funded new scientific and medical research, and the 63 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: life expectancy in China increased from thirty five years in 64 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: nineteen nine to sixty five years in nineteen eighty. But 65 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: so so many of the attempted reforms did a lot 66 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: more harm than good. Chairman Mau's rule over the People's 67 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: Republic of China was marked by extensive campaigns modernization and improvement, 68 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: but also with massacres and famines and purges and huge 69 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: social unrest and the widespread destruction of Chinese works of art, architecture, 70 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: and culture. In nineteen seventy one, there was an attempted 71 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,839 Speaker 1: coup and an attempt on mal Zadong's life. He died 72 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: on September nine of nineteen seventies six. You can learn 73 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: more about China under Chairman Mao in the four part 74 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 1: series from Stuff You miss in History class, including the 75 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: Great Leap Forward on September one, the Great Famine on 76 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,359 Speaker 1: September eight, and the two parts on the Cultural Revolution 77 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: on September fifteenth and seventeen. All of that again is 78 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 1: in thanks to Tari Harrison for her audio work on 79 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: this podcast, and you can subscribe to This Day in 80 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: History Class on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and where a 81 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 1: realty to get your podcasts. Can tune in tomorrow for 82 00:04:51,200 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: a massacre. Welcome to This Day in History Class, where 83 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: we bring you a new tidbit from history every day. 84 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: The day was October one, nineteen. A group of Indonesian 85 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: National Armed Forces members killed six high ranking Indonesian Army 86 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: generals in a failed coup in Jakarta. The army linked 87 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 1: the assassinations to the Indonesian Communist Party, and for the 88 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: next several weeks, the military detained and killed hundreds of 89 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: thousands of communists, alleged communists, and their sympathizers. The coup 90 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: led to Indonesia's first President, Sukardinal being put on house 91 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:53,239 Speaker 1: arrest in General Suharto being appointed to the presidency. President 92 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: Sukardino had begun promoting the system of guided democracy since 93 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: he believed parliamentary democracy was ineffective in Indonesia. As he 94 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: began implementing a form of socialist populism. He attempted to 95 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: balance relations with the military, communists and religious groups. He 96 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: supported the Indonesian Communist Party and the army, which was 97 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: largely anti communist, though many in the military did support communism. 98 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: Land reforms, which the Communist Party pressured su Cardinal to implement, 99 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: were a major source of tension between the party, Muslim 100 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: religious leaders, and the people who controlled the land. As 101 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,839 Speaker 1: the Indonesian Communist Party gained more influence, seeds of doubt 102 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:41,160 Speaker 1: grew among army members who were suspicious of the party's 103 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:45,359 Speaker 1: intentions and religious groups who were unsure of the party's views. 104 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: Sukarno became more anti imperialist and championed economic independence for Indonesia, 105 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: but the economy declined due to a lack of effective policy. 106 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: Western nations encouraged anti communist efforts against the Indonesian Communist Party, 107 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: Sucardino and the left. In nineteen sixty five, the Indonesian 108 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: Communist Party had three million members and was the third 109 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: largest communist party in the world, but by this time 110 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: there were rumors that senior army generals were planning a 111 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: coup against Ucardinal. In the early morning hours of October one, 112 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: thirtieth September movement kidnapped and murdered six of Indonesia's top 113 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 1: military generals. The movement members announced over the radio that 114 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,679 Speaker 1: they had seized power to protect the president and prevent 115 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 1: a military coup. The leader of the movement, Lieutenant Colonel Untun, 116 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: told listeners that the president was safe, that generals had 117 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: been arrested, and that there was about to be a 118 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: new revolutionary government. But the coup was crushed quickly. The 119 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: army claimed that the Communist Party was responsible for the 120 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,239 Speaker 1: coup attempt. At the time, there was not much evidence 121 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: that the Party had any involvement in the action against 122 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 1: the milio terry, but General Suharto, commander of the army 123 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: Strategic Reserve, capitalized on anti communist sentiment and quickly launched 124 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: propagandistic attacks against communists. He shut down a communist and 125 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: left his publications, while pro army publications flourished. The pro 126 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: army press circulated stories that the murdered generals had been 127 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:27,679 Speaker 1: tortured and mutilated. Through this campaign, the army inflamed anti 128 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: communist feelings and convinced people that the Party was complicit 129 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: in a huge conspiracy. The military took the opportunity to 130 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: eliminate the political power of communism in Indonesia, which it 131 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: perceived as a threat. The army, police and civilian militias 132 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:48,959 Speaker 1: imprisoned and killed communists and their supporters in Jakarta, Central 133 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: and East Java, and Bali, as well as parts of 134 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,560 Speaker 1: other islands. The death toll has been estimated at at 135 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 1: least half a million people. It was later discovered that 136 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,439 Speaker 1: some leaders in the Indonesian Communist Party did play a 137 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,320 Speaker 1: role in planning the coup, but most people in the 138 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: party did not know about it. There are many conspiracy 139 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: theories around exactly who planned the thirty of September movement 140 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 1: and what its goal was. The Communist Party was banned 141 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: in Indonesia in nineteen sixty five and has been ever since, 142 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: along with any public discussion of the massacre. The military 143 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: dictatorship that soon took over, led by Suharto, roled Indonesia 144 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: until with Western support, Indonesia became pro western and the 145 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:40,439 Speaker 1: downfall of communism in Indonesia benefited capitalist countries. I'm eve 146 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: deaf Code, and hopefully you know a little more about 147 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If there are any 148 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: upcoming days in history that you'd really like me to 149 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:51,640 Speaker 1: cover on the show, give us a shout on social 150 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:57,959 Speaker 1: media at t d i HC podcast. We'll see you 151 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: here in the same place tomorrow. For more podcasts from 152 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 153 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:08,079 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.