ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 reflects on the political struggle for control of the Indonesian state that existed in Indonesia prior to the outbreak of the genocide between Sukarno, the Indonesian military and the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). It explains how this struggle evolved and intensified between the 1950s and early 1960s. It argues the Indonesian genocide files provide evidence the military was actively preparing to seize state power during the months prior to 1 October 1965 and “activated” an operation (Operasi Berdikari) that it used to facilitate this seizure of power during the morning of 1 October 1965. It also analyses the specific balance of forces in Aceh during this period and introduces readers to the main characters that will appear throughout the book.
