Table Of ContentDILEMMAS
OF
THIRD
WORLD
COMMUNISM
The Destruction of the
PKI in Indonesia
..
OLLE TORNQUIST
ASIA/CONTEMPORARY HISTORY
DILEMMAS OF THIRD WORLD
COMMUNISM
The Destruction of the PKI in Indonesia
OLLE TORNQUIST
Dilemmas of Third World Communism is a study of the
Indonesian Communist Party that aims to answer more generai
questions about the difficulties, and even defeats, encountered by
so many left-wing movements in the Third World. Dr. Tornquist
argues that one fundamental reason for the Indonesian military's
successful destruction of the world's third largest communist party
in 1965 lay in the failure of the Party itself to analyse the nature of
the post-colonial capitalist society that was emerging. The Party
was unable, as a result, to develop effective long-term strategies at
the political level.
This book analyses, for each stage in the PKl's history, the range of
theoretical issues confronting the Party, including the land
question, the role of the bourgeoisie, the consequences of
nationalisation, and the problem of democracy. The author argues
that the Party relied unthinkingly on the analyses prevalent within
Marxism generally, and did not perceive how these issues were
altered by the specific forms post-colonial capitalism was taking in
the Third World. The consequent theoretical misconceptions
resulted in fundamental errors of strategy, that in the end led the
Party to disaster.
The lessons drawn in this analysis of the PKl's defeat are relev~mt
to many Third World revolutionary movements, but particularly to
those in countries with large peasant populations, semi-capitalist
agrarian relations, and ruling classes using the state to promote
accumulation under these conditions. Consequently, the analysis is
also of importance to international solidarity movements.
Dr Olle T6rnquist is a Research Fellow and Lecturer at the
University of Uppsala, where he has worked for several years in
Development Studies. The field research for the present study was
conducted in Indonesia and an earlier version of the book published
in Sweden.
'An ambitious and significant attempt . . . to understand why
revolutionary movements in the Third World were so often
defeated.' Professor Sven Eric Lledman, University of
Gothenburg.
'A brilliant thesis . . . The attempt to develop new theory is one of
the most original and suggestive that I have read in recent years.
Professor John Martinussen, Rosknde University Centr13.
Dilemmas of Third World
Communism
Olle T6rnquist
All royalties on this book have been
donated by the author to TAPOL, the British
Campaign for the Defence of Political
Prisoners and Human Rights in
Indonesia
Dilemmas of Third World
Communism
The Destruction of the PKI
in Indonesia
Olle Tornquist
111111111111111 Ill lllll II Ill Ill lllll I II I
3 0 3 3 7· 1 3 3 3 4
Dilemmas of Third World Communism was first published by
Zed Books Ltd., 57 Caledonian Road, London Nl 9BU in 1984.
It is a revised and expanded version of a book originally published
in Swedish by Symposium Bokforlag, Stockholm
Copyright © Olle T()rnquist, 1984
Cover design by Tim Moore
Printed by The Pitman Press, Bath
Brlllsh Library Calalogulng In Publlcallon Dala
TOrnquisl, Olle
Dilemmas of third world communism : lhe deslruction of lhe
PKI in Indonesia.
I. Partai komunis Indonesia - Hislory
2. Indonesia - Politics and governmenl - I 9S0-1966
I. Tille JI. Marxistisk Barlast : varfOr misslyckades vUrldens
tredje stOrsla kommunislparti? English
324.2S98'07S JQ779.ASS
ISBN 0-86232-278-2
ISBN 0-86232-279-0 Pbk
US Distributor: Biblio Distribution Center,
81, Adams Drive, Totowa, New Jersey 07512
The author wishes to express his gratitude to SAREC for its
financial assistance in the preparation of this work.
Contents
Map viii
Preface ix
1. The Problem 1
2. The Approach 4
Objectives 4
The Concept of Strategy 5
How Does One Examine the Failure of a Communist Party? 6
~mm~ 9
Outline of This Book 9
/
PART 1: THE COMMUNIST TRADITION 11
3. Marxist Theory of Struggle in the Third World: The Communist
Tradition 13
From Progressive to Parasitic Imperialism 13
The Example of Russia 15
Lenin's Thesis on the Colonies 18
Stalin's Colonial Theses 21
Mao's Silent Revolt 25
New Fronts - Old Lines 27
Old Stalinism and Non-Capitalism 28
Mao's Walking on Two Legs and the Dependency School 31
Reappraisal? 34
From Parasitic to Progressive Imperialism? 36
4. The PKI, the Communist Tradition and the Course of Events
in Indonesia 45
Colonization 46
Modern Nationalism 47
The Communists Isolate Themselves 49
Communist Hothouse (1952-1960/63) 50
Communist Offensive (1960/63-1965) 53
The New Order 54
'i PART 2: THE COMMUNIST HOTHOUSE 57
5. The PKI in Disarray 59
A New Hard Line - and Setbacks 61
The PKI in Disarray 63
6. A New Strategy 68
Strong Enemies 68
The Rural Situation 71
The PKI's Weakness ?}
Long-term Strategy
Democracy! 73
Anti-imperialism! 76
Anti-feudalism! 77
7. Modifications of the Strategy, up to 1960-63 80
A National Coalition Government 80
A New Idea of Democracy 81
The Class Character of the State 81
8. Five Strategic Problems, 1952-60/63 84
9. The National Bourgeoisie and Other Monstrosities 86
Towards A National Economy 86
From a Colonial Economy to a National Economic Crisis 87
Deterministic Blinkers 92
The Ethnocentric Bourgeoisie 93
10. The New Lords of Anti-Imperialism 97
A State-Guided Economy 97
The Army's Role 98
The Boomerang 104
Weak and Strong Nationalists 105
The Theoretically Inconceivable Capitalists 106
What is Wrong with the Theory? 107
11. Democratic Cul-de-Sac 112
Nationalists, Communists and Democracy 112
Guided Democracy Guides the PKI 114
Problems: The Nationalists Abandon Democracy 118
The Army Enforces 'Guided Democracy' 119
The Guided Democracy of Sukarno and Nasution 120
Democratic Patrons 122
Nationalists Against Democratic Rights and Privileges 123
12. The Mobilized Peasant Society 128
The PKI, the Nationalists and the Peasants 128
The PKI among Patrons and Clients 131
Problems 134
Captive of its own Policy 138
13. Workers' Struggle in the Face of Obstacles 143
The Basis of Class Collaboration 143
The Working Class as a Punch Bag 144
Problems 146
Economic Crisis 146
The Vanguard Which Was Left Behind 149
PART 3: COMMUNIST OFFENSIVE: 1960-63 to 65 153
14. For An Offensive Strategy 155
Locked Positions 155
Class Struggle within the Framework of Sukarno's Nationalism 156
15. Three Strategic Problems 163
16. Anti-Imperialist Struggles Against the Wrong Form
of Capitalism 165
Disarm the Bureaucratic Capitalists! 165
Anti-imperialism: A Blunted Weapon 167
Problems: Workers Hard Hit, Capitalists Gain 169
The Bureaucratic Capitalists Could Not Be Isolated 170
A Post-Colonial Capitalism Takes Shape 173
Military Bureaucratic State? 176
Post-Colonial Capitalism and the State 178
17. Peasant Struggles Against the Wrong Monopoly of Land 186
Mobilizing the Peasants for a Political Offensive 186
The Land Reform: A Blunted Weapon 191
Problems of Analysis 201
The Ce!}tralization of Surplus 204
18. Mass Struggle Bypassed: Elite Conflicts and Massacre 224
Mass Struggle Bypassed 226
Elite Conflicts 230
Massacre 232
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 238
19. Why Did the PKI Fail? 238
Defective Theory and Analysis 238
Ethnocentric Theory on the Rise of Capitalism 238
Nationalists Without Classic Bourgeois Interests -
Post-colonial Capitalism and the State 241
20. What Are the Implications of the PKI's Strategic Problems for
Prevailing Theories on the Struggle in the Third World? 254
The State, Imperialism and Democracy 258
Radical Peasant Struggle 264
How Does the Left React? New Solutions? 266
Concluding Remarks 270
Appendices
Appendix I: Glossary and Abbreviations 273
Appendix II: Key to some land tenure agreements in
Javanese agriculture 277
Appendix III: The course of events - a short chronology 280
Bibliograpliy 285
" Index 305
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