Asian and Oceanic – Page 2 – Manchester Historian

The oppression and mass killing of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) in 1965 – 1966 occurred due to the threat they posed to both western, and Suharto’s, intentions in the region. The suppression of the PKI occurred between 1965-1966, and saw communists executed by both the military and the general public. This public purging of communism was instigated through a mass propaganda campaign by the military, following the September 30th Movement. The movement saw communist leaders kidnap and eventually execute six military officials. The removal of communists benefitted both western interests and Suharto.

The Vietnam War occurred from 1955-1975, pitting North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam who infamously received vast amounts of aid from the USA. The war can be seen as a battle between the Communist ideology of the North and the capitalist ideology of the South. This can lead to the belief that it was a proxy war within the cold war as the North Vietnamese received aid from the USSR and China who had their own agendas, much like the USA.

For China, the 20th century was a Sisyphean journey; time and time again, the Chinese rolled a boulder up that steep slope of progress towards utopia, only for it to roll back down and crush millions of lives with it. The Hundred Flowers Campaign is but another flashpoint in this path, one of many visions of utopia that ended up tormenting the Chinese people further.

Vietnam war music allows listeners today to hear the words of contemporary protestors and understand the significance of Vietnam for the American people. The visibility of Vietnam in the charts equates to the presence of Vietnam in the American mind, making them a vital tool for understanding the implications of war on US soil.

Arundhati Roy, an Indian Author best known for her novel, The God of Small things, stated in an interview with DW news, that the conflict between Muslims and Hindus in India is ‘approaching genocidal.’ She emphasised the need to raise awareness of this issue, and how ‘it should not be taken lightly.’ From her interview, it can be inferred that the government has played a major role in the provocation of violence against Muslims, notably, under the governance of Hindu nationalist, Narendra Modi.