Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, social divisions which had crystallized during the Revolution continued to widen. Political conflicts and assassinations were rife - the key split being between those who favored the old caste system and traditional values, and those who rejected the caste system as a form of aristocratic "feudalism" designed to oppress the majority. By the mid-1960s the conflict had taken political form as a contest between the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PMI) and the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Attempts by the latter to organize a program of land reform exacerbated the already high level of rhetoric and bad feelings, and both sides organized rallies and pressed Balinese to chose one side or the other.
On September 30th, 1965, an unsuccessful coup in Jakarta resulted in a takeover of the government by pro-Western military leaders under General Suharto. In the wake of the coup, a tidal wave of killings swept Java and Bali, as the military sought first to dismantle the extensive structure of the PKI, and rightist supporters then turned this campaign into one of wholesale slaughter. As many as 500,000 Indonesians died, and up to a fifth of them - 5 per cent of the island's population at the time - may have been Balinese.*Get used to comment and share information. Thank you. :))
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