page_title: Communist Party of Indonesia
section_title: Post-war resurgence
hierarchical_section_title: Communist Party of Indonesia / Post-war resurgence
caption_attribution_description: English: Collection / Archive: Photo collection Service for Army contacts Indonesia Reportage / Series: [DLC] Photos killed Communists by the TNI [made in Madiun, September 1948] Description: Two men with rope are handcuffed by TNI officers Date: September 1948 Location: Indonesia, Madiun, Dutch East Indies Photographer: Photographer Onbekend / DLC Copyright holder: National Archives Material type: Negative (black / white) Number of archive inventory: view access 2.24.04.02 File number: 8812Nederlands: Collectie / Archief&#160;: Fotocollectie Dienst voor Legercontacten Indonesië Reportage / Serie&#160;: [DLC] Foto's gedode communisten door de TNI [gemaakt te Madioen, september 1948] Beschrijving&#160;: Twee mannen met touw geboeid worden ondervraagd door TNI-officieren Datum&#160;: september 1948 Locatie&#160;: Indonesië, Madiun, Nederlands-Indië Fotograaf&#160;: Fotograaf Onbekend / DLC Auteursrechthebbende&#160;: Nationaal Archief Materiaalsoort&#160;: Negatief (zwart/wit) Nummer archiefinventaris&#160;: bekijk toegang 2.24.04.02 Bestanddeelnummer&#160;: 8812
context_page_description: The Communist Party of Indonesia was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its eradication in 1965 and ban the following year. The party had two million members in the 1955 elections, with 16 percent of the national vote and almost 30 percent of the vote in East Java. During most of the period immediately following independence until the eradication of the PKI in 1965, it was a legal party operating openly in the country.
context_section_description: The PKI re-emerged on the political scene after the 1945 surrender of Japan and actively participated in the Indonesian National Awakening; many armed units were under PKI control or influence. Although PKI militias played an important role in fighting the Dutch, President Sukarno was concerned that the party's growing influence would eventually threaten his position. Because the PKI's growth troubled the right-wing sectors of Indonesian society and some foreign powers (especially the vigorously anti-communist United States), its relationship with the other forces also fighting for independence was generally difficult.
  The PKI and the Socialist Party (Partai Sosialis) formed a joint front, the People's Democratic Front, in February 1948. Although the front did not last, the Socialist Party later merged with the PKI; by this time, the Pesindo militias were under PKI control.
  On 11 August 1948, Musso returned to Jakarta after twelve years in the Soviet Union. The PKI politburo was reconstructed, and included D. N. Aidit, M. H. Lukman and Njoto.
  After signing the Renville Agreement in 1948, many of the republican armed units returned from zones of conflict; this gave the Indonesian right wing some confidence that they would be able to counter the PKI militarily. Guerrilla units and militias under PKI influence were ordered to disband. In Madiun, a group of PKI military which refused to disarm were killed in September of that year; the killings sparked a violent uprising, which provided a pretext to clamp down on the PKI. It was claimed by army sources that the PKI had announced the proclamation of a Soviet Republic of Indonesia on 18 September, with Musso as president and Amir Sjarifuddin as prime minister. At the same time, however, the PKI had denounced the uprising and appealed for calm. The uprising was suppressed by republican troops, and the party experienced another period of repression. On 30 September, Madiun was taken over by republican troops of the Siliwangi Division. Thousands of party members were killed, and 36,000 were imprisoned. Amongst the executed were several leaders, including Musso (who was killed on 31 October, allegedly while trying to escape from prison). Although Aidit and Lukman went into exile in China, the PKI was not banned and continued to function; its reconstruction began in 1949.
  During the 1950s, the party began publishing again; its main publications were Harian Rakyat and Bintang Merah, as well as quarterly journal PKI dan Perwakilan. The PKI committed itself to a nationalist position under Aidit's leadership, supporting Indonesian president Sukarno's anti-colonialist and anti-Western policy. Aidit and his faction, which included young leaders such as Sudisman, Lukman, Njoto and Sakirman, took charge of the party in 1951; none were more than 30 years old. Under Aidit, the PKI grew rapidly—from 3,000-5,000 in 1950 to 165,000 in 1954 and 1.5 million in 1959. The PKI led a series of militant August 1951 strikes which were followed by clamp-downs in Medan and Jakarta, and the party leadership briefly went underground.
caption: Two men with ropes around their necks are handcuffed by TNI officers on September 1948 in Madiun.
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