Revolution was political above all, scholars say
Revolution was political above all, scholars say
JAKARTA (JP): Prominent scholars discussed the Indonesian
revolutionary wars yesterday and concluded that the struggle for
independence here was more political than social in nature.
Sociologist Ignas Kleden and American historian William
Frederick asserted that the Indonesian revolution was more marked
by the struggle to win power from colonialists.
As such, the revolution was more political in nature and
failed to entail drastic social changes, Kleden said.
"It is more similar to what happened in England or the United
States," he said, adding that in those countries, too, social
changes only occurred gradually following political struggle.
In contrast, revolutions in France, Russia and China can be
categorized as "social revolutions" because they were followed by
major social changes, he said.
"Political or national revolutions tend to transform the state
structure without necessarily causing a transformation in social
structures," he said.
Restructuring social institutions is still the task faced by
the new society following the transfer of authority accomplished
in the revolution, he said.
Kleden and Frederick were the last speakers yesterday at the
international conference on national revolution at the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI).
"(The Indonesian revolution) is political in the sense that it
effectuated the transfer of power and authority," Kleden said.
Comparing the situation to Vietnam, Frederick said the
revolution here "failed socially" at the time because it did not
involve social restructuring.
Some layers in the early years of the republic actually wished
for such major social changes, including the Indonesian Socialist
Party, he said.
The wish, however, was then "thwarted by a Republic that (was)
bourgeois, reactionary, or worse," Frederick said in his prepared
paper.
He added that this failure was among the reasons why the
Indonesian revolution received less than adequate recognition
abroad and was not often mentioned in international literature on
comparative revolutions.
He pointed out that some leading figures in the history of the
Indonesian revolution were willing to turn villages into battle
grounds or bases for mobilization of power, but not as a venue to
introduce social changes.
"Therefore, there was little chance for a genuine social
revolution to occur," Frederick said. "What took place, instead,
was only a temporary social upheaval."
He added the "failed revolution" view is found among both
Indonesian and outside observers.
"Some people have grumbled that there perhaps wasn't a
revolution at all..there's a vague feeling that the revolution
was something one cannot be entirely proud of," he said.
He quoted political scientist Burhan Magenda who said in 1978
that the Republic's unity "was achieved at the expense of social
transformation."
In comparison, since its independence, Vietnam has been more
able in resolving problems such as social and economic
inequality, he said.
However, Frederick stressed that the shared 50th anniversary
of the independence of Vietnam and Indonesia provides opportunity
to appreciate "the full meaning and value of the Indonesian
Revolution." (anr)
JAKARTA (JP): Prominent scholars discussed the Indonesian
revolutionary wars yesterday and concluded that the struggle for
independence here was more political than social in nature.
Sociologist Ignas Kleden and American historian William
Frederick asserted that the Indonesian revolution was more marked
by the struggle to win power from colonialists.
As such, the revolution was more political in nature and
failed to entail drastic social changes, Kleden said.
"It is more similar to what happened in England or the United
States," he said, adding that in those countries, too, social
changes only occurred gradually following political struggle.
In contrast, revolutions in France, Russia and China can be
categorized as "social revolutions" because they were followed by
major social changes, he said.
"Political or national revolutions tend to transform the state
structure without necessarily causing a transformation in social
structures," he said.
Restructuring social institutions is still the task faced by
the new society following the transfer of authority accomplished
in the revolution, he said.
Kleden and Frederick were the last speakers yesterday at the
international conference on national revolution at the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI).
"(The Indonesian revolution) is political in the sense that it
effectuated the transfer of power and authority," Kleden said.
Comparing the situation to Vietnam, Frederick said the
revolution here "failed socially" at the time because it did not
involve social restructuring.
Some layers in the early years of the republic actually wished
for such major social changes, including the Indonesian Socialist
Party, he said.
The wish, however, was then "thwarted by a Republic that (was)
bourgeois, reactionary, or worse," Frederick said in his prepared
paper.
He added that this failure was among the reasons why the
Indonesian revolution received less than adequate recognition
abroad and was not often mentioned in international literature on
comparative revolutions.
He pointed out that some leading figures in the history of the
Indonesian revolution were willing to turn villages into battle
grounds or bases for mobilization of power, but not as a venue to
introduce social changes.
"Therefore, there was little chance for a genuine social
revolution to occur," Frederick said. "What took place, instead,
was only a temporary social upheaval."
He added the "failed revolution" view is found among both
Indonesian and outside observers.
"Some people have grumbled that there perhaps wasn't a
revolution at all..there's a vague feeling that the revolution
was something one cannot be entirely proud of," he said.
He quoted political scientist Burhan Magenda who said in 1978
that the Republic's unity "was achieved at the expense of social
transformation."
In comparison, since its independence, Vietnam has been more
able in resolving problems such as social and economic
inequality, he said.
However, Frederick stressed that the shared 50th anniversary
of the independence of Vietnam and Indonesia provides opportunity
to appreciate "the full meaning and value of the Indonesian
Revolution." (anr)