Marxist Theory examining Indonesian Government Institutions
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Marxist Theory
The German philosopher Karl Marx argued that the way people think and behave in any society is determined by basic economic factors. In his view, those groups of people who owned and controlled major industries could exploit the rest of the population, first through conditions of employment, and second by forcing their own values and beliefs onto other social groups. His theory continued to explain that exploitation could only be overcome by the combined actions of the exploited classes to permanently change a capitalist nation into a socialist, then finally communist state. The Marxist conflict theory can hence be applied to the examination of government institutions in Indonesia, outlining the change from colonialism to independence, the subsequent continuity of authoritarianism, and predicting the future of this turbulent political state.
change: colonialism to independence
Introduction
The Marxist theory presented the idea that change was a constant and inevitable feature of society where increasing deterioration of society and class struggles led to revolutionary transformation.
Indonesian Communist Party (PKI)
This deterioration as outlined in Marxist's theory began when the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) had begun to create unrest in the trade movement by the end of World War I, through violent revolts and strikes against the Dutch in Java and Sumatra. The PKI inaugurated public awareness of the inequalities between themselves and their mother colony. Unmatched governance of the Dutch aristocracy took advantage of the economic profits produced by the Indonesian working class. A climactic point was reached in their campaign of raids and rebellion when in 1926, the PKI proclaimed Indonesia a republic. However, the Dutch had no difficultly in suppressing the PKI and its claims, the party banned and its leaders jailed...