Das Ende der Sukarno-Ära: Interpretationen zu den Ereignissen am 1.10.1965 in Indonesien

Abstract On 1st October 1965 Sukamo’s reign over the Indonesian islands ended. His policy had sided with the Chinese position in the Southeast Asian conflict with the USA. The American govemment approved his downfall in view of the escalating Vietnam war. His successor, Suharto, accepts more willingly the interests and positions of the United States. This article tries to reconstruct the events of 1/10/1965 as far as possible and to confront the contradictory interpretations - still circulating today - with each other. It becomes apparent that the accusations of those involved in the events cannot be proved true and that all theories overestimating the influence of foreign or domestic secret-agents cannot give an accurate interpretation of the historic situation. 1/10/1965 as a tuming-point in Indonesian history can be seen as an outstanding example of historic events, which led - driven by conflicting actors - to unplanned, unpredictable results. In so far as the domestic and foreign effects of these events can still be felt today this historical analysis tries to contribute to the understanding of contemporary Indonesia.