- Date:
- 1965 - 1968
- Location:
- Indonesia
September 30th Movement
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What was the September 30th Movement in Indonesia?
The September 30th Movement was a coup attempt in 1965 by a group of Indonesian military personnel who murdered six generals, which led to Sukarno's fall from power. The movement announced that it had seized power to forestall a coup against the president by a council of generals. However, General Suharto, commander of the army’s strategic reserve, seized the initiative from the conspirators.
The army leadership insisted that the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) plotted to seize power and purged the country of communists. The military slaughtered communists and alleged communists across Java and in Bali. With the destruction of the PKI, Sukarno came under increasing pressure, and the army forced Sukarno to delegate powers to Suharto.
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When did the September 30th Movement take place?
The September 30th Movement was a coup attempt in Indonesia that began on the evening of September 30, 1965, when a group of military personnel kidnapped and murdered six generals. The movement announced that it had seized power to forestall a coup against President Sukarno. However, General Suharto, commander of the army's strategic reserve, quickly took control and by evening had seized the initiative from the conspirators. In the aftermath, the military purged communists and alleged communists, resulting in mass killings and long-term detentions. The events led to Sukarno delegating power to Suharto, who eventually became president.
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Who was involved in the September 30th Movement?
The September 30th Movement involved a group of Indonesian military personnel who, on the evening of September 30, 1965, gathered in Jakarta and murdered six generals. They announced that they had seized power to forestall a coup against the president by a council of generals.
The Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) claimed the coup attempt was an internal affair of the army. However, the army leadership insisted that it was part of a PKI plot to seize power and purged the country of the perceived communist threat. General Suharto, commander of the army’s strategic reserve, seized the initiative from the conspirators. Sukarno was forced to delegate extensive powers to Suharto, who then banned the PKI.
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What happened during the September 30th Movement?
The September 30th Movement was a coup attempt in 1965 by a group of Indonesian military personnel that resulted in the death of six generals. The movement announced that it had seized power to prevent a coup against the president by a council of generals. However, General Suharto, commander of the army's strategic reserve, quickly took control and seized the initiative from the conspirators.
The Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) claimed the coup attempt was an internal affair of the army. The army leadership insisted that it was part of a PKI plot to seize power and retaliated by slaughtering communists and alleged communists. The destruction of the PKI led to President Sukarno delegating extensive powers to Suharto, who then banned the PKI and consolidated his position as head of government.
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How did the September 30th Movement affect Indonesian politics?
The September 30th Movement dramatically impacted Indonesian politics by triggering a series of events that led to a significant shift in power. The movement, consisting of military personnel, resulted in the death of six generals and was followed by a counteraction led by General Suharto.
The Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was blamed for the coup attempt, which led to a purge of communists and alleged communists, resulting in mass killings and long-term denial of rights. This decimation of the PKI eliminated a key support structure for President Sukarno, leading to his downfall. Suharto then assumed power, replacing Sukarno as president and initiating a new political era in Indonesia.
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What were the long-term consequences of the September 30th Movement for Indonesia?
The September 30th Movement led to long-term consequences in Indonesia, including the mass slaughter of communists and alleged communists, with estimates ranging from 80,000 to over 1 million deaths. The Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was destroyed, and its members, along with their families, faced denial of basic rights and discrimination.
The movement also led to a shift in political power, as Suharto consolidated his position, eventually becoming president after Sukarno was forced to delegate powers to him. These events have been depicted in literature and film, reflecting the tensions within Indonesian society during this period.
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September 30th Movement, group of Indonesian military personnel who captured and murdered six generals in 1965, marking the commencement of the abortive coup that led to the fall from power of Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president.
Late in the evening on Sept. 30, 1965, a group of army conspirators calling itself the September 30th Movement gathered in Jakarta with the aim of kidnapping and killing seven army generals in the early hours of the following morning. By dawn on Oct. 1, six of the generals were dead; the seventh, Abdul Nasution, had escaped. Later that morning the movement announced that it had seized power to forestall a coup against the president by a council of generals. In the meantime, General Suharto, commander of the army’s strategic reserve, began to gather the reins of power into his own hands. By evening he had seized the initiative from the conspirators.
The Indonesian Communist Party (Partai Komunis Indonesia; PKI) maintained that the coup attempt was an internal affair of the army. The army leadership, on the contrary, insisted that it was part of a PKI plot to seize power and subsequently embarked on a mission to purge the country of the perceived communist threat. In the following month the military slaughtered communists and alleged communists across Java and in Bali; estimates of the number of people killed ranged from 80,000 to more than 1,000,000. In the following years communists, alleged communists, and their families were frequently denied basic rights (e.g., the right to a fair trial, the right to equal opportunity in employment, and freedom from discrimination). Between 1969 and 1980, approximately 10,000 persons, primarily known or purported communists, were detained without trial on the island of Buru in the Moluccas.
With the destruction of the PKI, one of the elements of balance that had supported the Sukarno regime was eliminated, and the president himself came under increasing pressure. In March 1966, against a background of student action, the army forced Sukarno to delegate extensive powers to Suharto, now chief of staff of the army. With his new authority, Suharto banned the PKI and moved gradually to consolidate his position as the effective head of government. In March 1967 the Indonesian legislature installed Suharto as acting president, and in March 1968 he was appointed to the presidency in his own right. Sukarno was kept under house arrest until his death on June 21, 1970.
The years between 1965 and 1968 were among the most tumultuous and violent in Indonesia’s history, and this period has served as the backdrop for a number of widely acclaimed works of literature and film. Most notably, many of the short stories and novels of Pramoedya Ananta Toer—who was among those imprisoned in the Moluccas (for nearly 15 years)—poignantly portray the tensions that agitated Indonesian society prior to the failed coup, while his book Nyanyi Sunyi Seorang Bisu (1995; The Mute’s Soliloquy) specifically addresses his years on Buru. The events surrounding the September 30th Movement also provided the setting for the award-winning films The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) and Gie (2005).