Indonesia's New Order: Stability and Development

Active learning helps students grasp the complexity of Suharto’s New Order by making abstract concepts like bureaucratic authoritarianism and the dual function of the military tangible. Students move beyond passive reading to analyze primary documents, role-play decision-making, and debate real policy trade-offs, which builds deeper understanding and critical thinking.

• JC 1
• History
• 3 activities
• 25 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the core tenets and operational characteristics of Suharto's 'New Order' regime.
2. Analyze the strategies employed by the New Order to foster economic development and maintain national unity.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness and consequences of the New Order's methods for political control and social order.
4. Compare the New Order's approach to development with other 'developmental state' models in Southeast Asia.

Simulation Game

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Technocrat's Dilemma

Students act as economic advisors in the 1970s. They must decide how to allocate oil revenues between industrial projects, education, and military spending, while navigating the demands of the 'First Family.'

Prepare & details

Explain the main goals and characteristics of Suharto's 'New Order' government.

Facilitation Tip: In 'The Technocrat’s Dilemma,' assign roles with distinct policy priorities to create authentic tension and force students to negotiate trade-offs between stability and freedoms.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The 'Dual Function' of the Military

Students discuss the pros and cons of having military officers serve as governors and CEOs. They reflect on how this might improve efficiency but also lead to corruption and lack of accountability.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the New Order prioritized economic growth and national unity.

Facilitation Tip: For the 'Think-Pair-Share' on the military’s dual function, provide a Venn diagram template so pairs can visually map civil and security roles before sharing with the class.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Gallery Walk

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: The New Order's Successes and Failures

Stations feature data on GDP growth and poverty reduction alongside reports on the 'Petrus' killings and the 1997 financial crisis. Students evaluate the long-term sustainability of the New Order model.

Prepare & details

Assess the methods used by the New Order to maintain political control and social order.

Facilitation Tip: During the 'Gallery Walk,' assign each group a specific artifact (e.g., a policy doc, a propaganda poster, a statistical chart) to analyze closely, then rotate to ensure all students engage with multiple perspectives.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Start with the political context of the mid-1960s to show why Indonesians might have prioritized stability over democracy. Use Suharto’s speeches sparingly—only to highlight key phrases students can unpack for bias or omission. Avoid framing the New Order as a monolithic success or failure; instead, teach it as a system with evolving goals and outcomes that students can evaluate over time.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students explaining how the New Order balanced military control with technocratic expertise to achieve stability and development. They should also articulate the regime’s contradictions, such as its early economic successes and later systemic corruption, using evidence from activities and discussions.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk, watch for students describing the New Order as a simple military dictatorship.

What to Teach Instead

Use the gallery’s artifacts to challenge this idea: have students identify examples of civilian technocrats, Golkar’s role, or economic policies led by non-military experts.

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share on the military’s dual function, watch for students assuming corruption was present from the regime’s start.

What to Teach Instead

Direct students to the timeline in the activity materials to mark when corruption became systemic, then discuss why early years focused on economic stabilization instead.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the class debate following the 'Technocrat’s Dilemma' simulation, assess how well students use specific policies (e.g., rice self-sufficiency programs, repression of dissent) to support their arguments about whether development justified the cost of freedoms.

Quick Check

During the 'Think-Pair-Share' on the military’s dual function, circulate and listen for students’ ability to identify two distinct roles (e.g., security operations and infrastructure projects) and explain why both were politically significant.

Exit Ticket

After the Gallery Walk, collect exit tickets to check if students can list one achievement and one criticism of the New Order, each with a one-sentence justification grounded in evidence from the gallery artifacts.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to research how the Berkeley Mafia’s economic policies compare to IMF or World Bank recommendations from the same era, then present findings in a short report.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the 'Technocrat’s Dilemma' simulation, such as 'My priority is ____ because ____ will ensure ____.'
• Deeper exploration: Have students compare Indonesia’s New Order statistics (e.g., GDP growth, literacy rates) with those of neighboring countries to assess relative success or failure.

Key Vocabulary

New Order (Orde Baru)	The period of Indonesian history under President Suharto's authoritarian rule, from 1966 to 1998, characterized by political stability and economic development.
Dwifungsi (Dual Function)	The doctrine that granted the Indonesian military a significant role in both defense and sociopolitical affairs, ensuring its pervasive influence.
Berkeley Mafia	A group of Indonesian economists, many educated at the University of California, Berkeley, who advised Suharto on economic policy and development.
Bureaucratic Authoritarianism	A political system where a ruling elite, often military or technocratic, prioritizes economic development and social order through centralized, authoritarian control.
Pancasila	The official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state, consisting of five principles, used by the New Order to promote national unity and ideology.