Transition to the New Order

Common card · No. 251997

Indonesia's transition to the New Order in the mid-1960s ousted the country's first president, Sukarno, after 22 years in the position. One of the most tumultuous periods in the country's modern history, it was also the commencement of Suharto's 32-year presidency. Described as the great dhalang ("puppet master" or "puppeteer"), Sukarno drew power from balancing the opposing and increasingly antagonistic forces of the Army and the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). By 1965, the PKI had extensively penetrated all levels of government and had gained influence at the expense of the army. On 30 September 1965, six of the military's most senior officers were tortured and killed (generally labelled an "attempted coup") by the so-called 30 September Movement, a battalion of soldiers from the Tjakrabirawa Regiment (Presidential Guard). Within a few hours, Major General Suharto mobilised forces under his command and took control of Jakarta. Anti-communists, initially following the army's lead, went...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Photo's copyright information attributes to Department of Information of the Republic of Indonesia, dated October 2, 1965. Original uploader was Maksim, Public domain