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Essay Subject: Examines historical, cultural & political backgrounds & their impact on social & economic conditions in 1990s & future. Socialism, technology, role of govt., employment, stability, demographics, reform.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines historical, cultural & political backgrounds & their impact on social & economic conditions in 1990s & future. Socialism, technology, role of govt., employment, stability, demographics, reform. Paper Introduction: Indonesia and the United States are similar in recent economic development. Indonesia has experienced three decades of turbulence since the 1960s, as has the United States, especially in shifting demographics and overall age of the population. While both countries have experienced their economic difficulties in the past 20 years, both seem on the verge of entering a decade of calm, stable growth, while at the same time advancing the lifestyle quality of their inhabitants. This paper will compare and contrast the economic pasts of Indonesia and the United States to illustrate how and why they are both poised for unprecedented economic stability in the 1990s and beyond 2000. A conclusion will discuss the near future for both countries, economically and socially. In the period between the end of the Civil War and the end of Wo Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. There is arelatively tolerant attitude toward religious practice, and therefore newconcepts are absorbed and adapted with relative ease. The reform packages have had their greatestimpact where stimulation of foreign export and investment is concerned.However, a lot of the economy is still burdened from tariffs and otherregulations which keep investment at a minimum. Darwinism,technological development and Socialism are likely to be significant in thechanging future of the world and different countries still in the throes ofmodernization and development amply illustrate this. E. Revolution has definitely been a factor in the reforms and changeswhich have occurred in Indonesia. economy in the199 s. Commoners suffered in their faith. Married couples with children managed gains in real income of 15 percent from 197 through 1985. I would invite the girls to my rooms and we took turns reading poetry in English to improve our understandings of the language. The technologies are capital-intensive, and this limits thedirect amount of income and employment for the local individuals. 126). Suharto haslaid the foundation for Indonesia to continue to "pull itself up by its ownbootstraps," as Americans like to say. This was a liberal period, during which therewas an active interest in wooing foreign investment. If Indonesia is to achieve its development goals, the needfor private sector funding is crucial. Many of the jobs being lost arein low-paying industries like textiles and shoe manufacturing. 22). This paper will compare andcontrast the economic pasts of Indonesia and the United States toillustrate how and why they are both poised for unprecedented economicstability in the 199 s and beyond 2 . For this purpose, it is imperative to assure growth in the production of goods and services in various economic development sectors, covering agriculture, industry, mining, energy, communications, trade, tourism, and other sectors in a manner that will lead to the realization of an economic structure that is well balanced. That growth will both reflect and underwrite a host of trends. . As noted in theEconomist: Rebellion may be too dignified a word for the events in Aceh. The conditions facing the factory and sweatshop workerswere extremely hazardous. In the period between the end of the Civil War and the end of WorldWar I, the United States witnessed profound changes: the country wasinternally bleeding following the war; many of the changes regarding blacksnever materialized. Religion in many ways defines the dailyconduct and has become the social doctrine for the society. In the early 199 s, small-scale as well as large-scale industries weredeveloping around the major cities, replacing small-scale industries in therural areas. The "Ludlow Massacre" was an illustration ofjust what could happen when socialist forces united: In Denver, the United Mine Workers issued a "Call to Arms." At Colorado Springs, three hundred union miners walked off their jobs and headed for the Trinidad district, carrying revolvers, rifles, shotguns . 22-24.Cooper, J. And so it went, in industry after industry--shrewd, efficient businessmen building empires, choking out competition, maintaining high prices, keeping wages low, using government subsidies (Zinn, 198 , p. New York: New American Library.Sumarlin, H. An idea began to bloom: There was an idea in the air, becoming clearer and stronger, an idea not just in the theories of Karl Marx, but in the dreams of writers and artists through the ages: that people might cooperatively use the treasures of the earth to make life better for everyone, not just a few (Zinn, 198 , p. Inboth kinds of urban centers, Chinese and Arab traders dominate the smallretail trade. The kampung leader was chosen on the basis of hisseniority. A people's history of the United States. 321). Even aftersome union-obtained change, a 1911 fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist Co.killed 146. E. J. Both countries have been accused offostering a growing economic division between the "haves" and "have-nots."However, the research shows that, as long as both countries stay on thepresent positive paths they are traveling economically and socially, thefuture holds great promise and stability. economics are concerned,but it should be "silver" because of new changes. They form a peasant communitythat controls and cultivates the land for subsistence and maintains theethnic traditional way of living. The Communistforces were crushed by the army. Almost all future ideologies culminatein some form of a socialist state. With its geographic size, its strategic location, its immense andvaried natural resources and large and youthful population, Indonesia'sprospects are good. (1992, January 2 ). The federal government has embarked on the first stage of budget cutting. Stable, solid growth is predicted by analystsfor much of the 199 s and beyond 2 . 279-281.Zinn, H. The funding to achieve these goals is projected to come from moreinvestment from the private sector and foreign investment. 42). Technology was also responsible, in large part, for the suffering ofAmerican workers. (199 , December 15). Jakarta,the capital and center of political, economic and military power, attractedmigrants from within Java as well as from outside it. The export-at-any-costprogram has aided the government in obtaining needed revenues from newsources more than it has found new household goods to be imported ataffordable costs. The government's composite of "business sales,employment, incomes and industrial production declined .8% in November1991" (Cooper, 1992, p. The 199 s: The century's last decade won't be a golden age, but it should be a silver one. The enormous diversity in the economy that is Indonesia's primarypredicament will require a unique mixture of public and private enterpriseon a multi-level approach to even begin tackling the many challenges andseizing all opportunities facing Indonesia. What shall I do with her?' And the answer came from the Irish young woman in the chair - 'Admit her, of course, and let all of you give her a hearty welcome!' (Zinn, 198 , p. The Oxford history of the American people. 28 ). Because of the threat of socialism to the existing order, many ofour social advances have been made. 36). (1972). Because oflarge-scale confiscation of foreign properties, beginning in the late195 s, the armed forces became involved in large-scale economicenterprises. In the post-World War II period, the population of urban areasincreased steadily, and the rate of urban migration exceeded that ofnatural population growth. Many of the export promotion plans involve what is called enclavedevelopment. 23). Each kampung followed an ethnic lifestyle modeledafter its own traditional rural-oriented system and stood as a separatecohesive community. Fortune's economic model projectsthe following: Real gross national product will rise at an average rate of 2.6 percent through the year 2 . Indonesia has similar positive prospects. Asa Gray of Harvard begged Darwin to postulate some Grand Design, some Beneficent Deity in all this; but Darwin could not persuade himself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars (Morison, 1972, p. Flexibility is the keywhen dealing on an international market scope. kept theinward-opening doors locked to keep an eye on their employees, who laboredoften in excess of 12 hours shifts. The latest Five-Year plan directlyand overtly states that free-market economics, with a "hands-off"government approach toward the private sector, is the surest way tonational development: In order to establish the foundation for the subsequent development stage, it is necessary to endeavor for a satisfactory rate of economic growth, with the broad and active support and participation of all segments in society. The employers in the capitalist system employedworkers at slave wages in extremely dangerous working conditions; theincreased efficiency arising out of new technology was creating a newstrata of worker, the skilled worker; labor began to organize; andsocialist thought flourished in this milieu of death and despair. With its geographic size, its strategic location, its immense andvaried natural resources and large and youthful population, Indonesia haspotential that exists in few other countries. Thus,with little community cohesion, maintenance of the cities has become thesole responsibility of the government. The economic reform packages are the method by which Indonesia hopesto accomplish its goals. The amount of governmentinvolvement in private enterprise is also being lessened. 136-139.Morison, S. 23-24.Forrest, W. The strength of the economy will makearguments that the American middle class is dividing into a prosperousprofessional and managerial elite and a poor service-industry populacemute. . After 1965, this did not change; in fact, the bloodyelimination of the PKI gave the armed forces much greater freedom of actionand a new determination to take a predominant role in national life. Architectural Record, p. Immigrants would come from Europe and China to make the new labor force. Indonesia has experienced three decades of turbulence sincethe 196 s, as has the United States, especially in shifting demographicsand overall age of the population. It started a period ofeconomic nationalism, and Indonesia was able to narrow the field andrestrict the terms by which foreign firms could operate in Indonesia. Without the strict interpretation of the bible, the hold of religionloosened. Until the levels of lifestyle between the "Haves" and "Have-nots" is more balanced, chances are the threat of revolution will stay in the air ("Indonesia: The Door Slams," 199 , p. The first was the early years during the 196 s.These were the Suharto years, during which the main goal was to "restorenormalcy" after the devastating economic effects of the Sukarno years aspresident. Economist, p. Vital Speeches, pp. However ineffective thelaws proved to be, they represented an awareness within the government thatit served two masters and was answerable to both. (1987, February 2). The second time was in 1965, and theCommunist party nearly succeeded. New York: Harper Perennial. Both Indonesia and the United States are poised for a decade or moreof stable economic and social growth. Owners had a need/haterelationship with socialist workers. 14.Indonesia: Life inside. Now another threat of rebellion is occurring. The physical manifestation of Socialism was an extremethreat to the status quo. Agriculturalwork is scarce, seasonal and low-paying. Ethnic segmentation was furtheremphasized by the village-like quarters (kampung) shared by people of thesame ethnic background. Beyond the obvious threat to thestrict interpretation of creationist philosophy, the government used thethreat of a higher power to maintain the status quo. Fortune, pp. Among the middle and lower classes, ethnicidentity still played a major role. In the early 199 s, the economy of the United States is experiencingits second phase of a double-dip recession that was brought on by a declinein consumer spending. The masses were offeredthe regulatory legislation of the period as pacifiers: What was clear in this period to blacks, to feminists, to labor organizers and socialists, was that they could not count on the national government. Modern factories, office buildings and shopping centers are common.Indonesia hopes to continue fostering this economic development. business. Indonesia: Housing seen as bright spot. No one has done more to minethese untapped resources than President Suharto over the past 2 years.His fifth Five-Year plan is currently in the works, and this plan (alongwith the four previous ones) has seen Indonesia develop both socially andeconomically over the past 2 years. But socialistswelcomed new groups; they were out to win better conditions for all: It was a dramatic occasion on that evening, when an Irish girl at the door called out - 'A Colored sister seeks admission. The government specifically set the goal of reducingthe size of the state-owned and state-funded sector. This structuralchange and productivity has come about through a series of public policyreform packages which were designed to deregulate trade and investment andto improve the efficiency of the banking system. Darwin was less a genius than anobserver who put into words a concept intrinsically understood by many.There may well have been many scientists reading the theory of evolutionand slapping their foreheads in self-abasement for not seeing the obvious.But much of the reason that they could not see the obvious was that societyhad no place to allow such a concept. This group installed in Suhartothe need for properly accounting for budgets and stimulation of foreigninvestment to assist with development goals. The economic priorities of this new order were to fightinflation, bring normalcy to the economy, revitalize economic growth andinterest foreign investment. The United States will create more than 13 million jobs during the199 s with nine out of 1 in service industries and eight out of 1 filledby women, minorities and immigrants (Brody, 1987, p. In Denver, 82 soldiers in a company on a troop train refused to go. Business Week, pp. The pressures for change inrural life are extreme. Farmers unable to buy the new machinery or pay the new railroad rates would move to the cities. Yet,during the third phase of the 198 s, the sharp drop in oil prices and thedecade of low oil revenues made foreign exchange scarce. The century's last decade maynot be a time remembered as "golden" where U.S. This is aradical change from the traditional arrangement between the government andthe private sector. True, this was the "Progressive Period," the start of the Age of Reform, but it was a reluctant reform, aimed at quieting the popular risings, not making fundamental changes (Zinn, 198 , p. The Triangle Shirtwaist Co. The complex relationship among religion, cultural beliefs andsocial life in Indonesia has a far-reaching effect on the political andsocial conditions of the country. Rapid urbanization created the range of new social andeconomic programs typically found under such circumstances. Blacks were welcomed, as much as the period allowed, but women gaineda greater political voice through the Socialist party: only 3 percent ofthe Socialist party's members were women in 19 4; by 1913, 15 percent ofthe membership were women (Zinn, 198 , p. The welfaresystem that benefits the less fortunate, and the corporate subsidies andbailouts are, too, manifestations of socialist thought, however badlyapplied. The introduction of modern technology, individual performanceand material gain may leave little room for traditional concepts of life.Ethnic diversity notwithstanding, Indonesian society can be broadly dividedinto four general types. The shocks of disinflation and global competition brought pain to many, but are reinvigorating the competitive creativity of U.S. Theyquestioned their own place within a system which offered only the certaintyof early death. (199 , September 15). 331). The government, striving for unityand implicitly, for a national culture, has yet to define the basiccharacteristics of an Indonesian national culture. (1992, October 5). 22). But one cannot easilyregulate a person's questing mind; the same minds groping for anunderstanding of steam-driven principles would often end up groping for anunderstanding of the forces which drove the machinery of industry. 334). The concept of gotongroyong, central to the traditions of most ethnic groups, has been promotedby the government as one that should become the foundation of the nationalculture, but whether or not this concept will continue to be upheld remainsa question. The women's movement, likewise,profited from the changing values and perspectives brought about by theSocialist movement. It was an idea which foundready acceptance in the sweatshops and factories. When those prospects are mined better, Indonesia willassume a more prominent position in the world economic scene. 251). As in many developing countries, the urban areas have becomethe center of national social institutions and are becoming the focal pointof a new national culture interconnecting Indonesian society as a whole.The cities are marked by anomie, typical of rapid urban growth. There was no return to therelatively unfettered party politics of the earlier parliamentary period.The armed forces had been active since the war for independence (1945-195 ), and its leaders defined its social role in terms of the "dualfunctions" of national defense and sociopolitical development. The first time was in 1943, when President Sukarno wasin power. This was the central tenet of socialism. 36.Kraar, L. (1988, February). These empires were the first to profit from the welfare state. It is the conspicuous inequality of lifestyle between the Javanese and the Aceh that truly causes the warring atmosphere. Darwinism was intrinsicto the central tenet of socialism. If the population accepted the change necessary to makea Morgan out of an ape, how great a change in their own lives could theyeffect? Dire predictions such as this one are rooted not just in the economic turmoil of the 197 s, but the upsurge in smaller households caused by divorce and single baby-boomers. Wet-rice growers on inland Java and Bali are facedwith the scarcity of arable land and a dense population. If equality was to be achieved, it wasto be gained on the strengths of individual/group effort and sacrifice.The power of socialism was the power of numbers. Worldwide inflation has broken somewhat, oil prices have collapsedand the dollar has fallen. State banks and state-owned companies have been examined quite closely of late as a result ofthis new goal. The hours were long and workers were treatedwith far less respect than industry owners treated their pets. The Communist party tried twice to takeover the country. One of our favorites was Thomas Hood's 'Song of the Shirt,' and another, Percy Bysshe Shelley's 'Mask of Anarchy' (Zinn, 198 , p. The Denver Cigar Makers Union voted to send 5 armed men to Ludlow and Trinidad (Zinn, 198 , p. Reflections on Indonesia's economy. Thus, steady growth, rising livingstandards, falling deficits, millions of new jobs and a climate veryfriendly to enterprise is what America has to look forward to. Oilprices and revenues greatly increased during this period. This education led to the exchange of ideas; unanswerable questionsarose, or the answers were unacceptable. There is alack of community-wide institutions, such as social welfare facilities andcitizen groups. At the bottom of the heap, the poorly trained, underpaid officers running the prisons demand a bribe merely for allowing a prisoner to work in the kitchen or sleep not too close to the lavatory ("Indonesia: Life Inside," 199 , p. Evolutioncame along and insisted that those men came from fish and apes, and so didall other people. In the days prior to industrialization, finding others like themselveswould have been difficult. B. 334). The current social and economic prospects for Indonesia may be evenbrighter than those for the United States: "Indonesia has experienced aneconomic growth of approximately 6 percent a year in the decade since 1983"(Forrest, 1993, p. While both countries have experiencedtheir economic difficulties in the past 2 years, both seem on the verge ofentering a decade of calm, stable growth, while at the same time advancingthe lifestyle quality of their inhabitants. However, "even at their peaks, thehigh-wage auto and steel industries represented just 1.5 percent of theAmerican workforce" (Brody, 1987, p. The majority of Indonesians, approximately 7 percent of thepopulation, belong to rural society and are settled rice cultivators, usingeither wet- or dry-rice cultivation methods. 319). But, with the technological developments intransportation and machine efficiency, great segments of the populationcould cross vast distances to work in the industrialized urban centers. Baby it's cold outside, but hang on for spring. One argument has been that the employment shift from metal-bashing andgarment-making to high-tech and service industries is making incomedistribution undivided and unequal. Economist, p. (198 ). 22). Many persons feel compelled toleave their villages to look for better opportunities in the urban centers. 341). Theaverage person was asking, "What will I have to do to survive?" The most significant developments in this period were Darwinism,technological development and Socialism. If"survival of the fittest" was the ruling philosophy of the day, thenpeople's best chance for survival was to ally themeselves with others likethemselves. After this period came the time of great growth during the 197 s. Demographic changes already baked in the cake will help translate growth into rising employment rates, personal wealth and productivity. C. Governmentcontrol was put on spending, and many projects were canceled or delayed.Tariffs had to be increased. Because each of the ethnic groups has its own system of socialorganization and its own set of values, what constitutes the essence ofIndonesian identity and culture is, even among members of the youngergeneration, still a matter of debate. Such countries as Malaysia, Singapore andIndonesia have tremendous business potential: "Industry has grown in thesecountries, per capita income has risen, and the populations are bettereducated and more sophisticated" (Kraar, 1993, p. While they were only dealing withtrade unions, they could divide separate unions and get them to competewith each other, effectively keeping things the same. The important point here is that, in order to ensure growth in a broadspectrum of economic sectors, Indonesia must guarantee the flexibility toderegulate and streamline its planning process. Many of these cities were developed under the Dutchcolonial rule administration, which was more interested in the welfare ofits own temporary settlers than that of the population as a whole. They dared to think that they could possibly be of greaterworth, and they dared to dream of a more equal and generous existence forthemselves and their companions. Other cities in Javashowed a lower rate of urbanization than did cities on Sumatra, Sulawesaiand Kalimantan. These are based on ecological and economicadaptation and they are rural, tribal, coastal and urban. The sheerquantity of people in the Javanese and Balinese rural areas can be comparedto that of moderately dense suburban clusters in the United States. Ironically, technology was also responsible for the increasededucation of Americans. As technology became more difficult, the educationof skilled workers needed to be elevated as well. 14). Pauline Newman of the InternationalLadies Garment Workers Union describes their intuitive attraction toeducation: We tried to educate ourselves. Asia's hot new growth triangle. Capital is growing more plentiful--and more mobile. Under Suharto, asunder Sukarno, politics were authoritarian. In the early 198 s, urban society was characterized by sharpsegmentation of the population. A conclusion will discuss the nearfuture for both countries, economically and socially. Fortune, pp. It was the natural order. In the past decade orso, sweeping changes have set the foundation for the U.S. By doing this, it may one day standon equal footing with industrial giants like the United States. 22). Members of this society look to, and areinfluenced by, the gentry, or townspeople. Technology was the foundation of the political manipulations thatallowed individual empires in the midst of such suffering among the lowerclasses. The first of the five broad principles of pancasila formulated in the1945 constitution espouses the belief in one supreme God, giving eachindividual the freedom to choose the manner in which belief is expressed.Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism are recognized as majorreligions in Indonesia, but other beliefs and practices are widelyaccepted. The Socialist movement is still viewed warily in the United States,but the influences it has wielded in areas as diverse as worker'scompensation and employee-owned businesses are considerable. ReferencesBrody, M. The war started in the city of Madiun, east Java. Backing up the belief that Indonesia is still a land where the elitefew milk the benefits while the masses of poverty stricken suffer is AsiaWatch: Financial misconduct is still a way of life starting with the president's family and close associates. The towns were marked by their relativeintegration with the traditional ethnic values of the region. Indonesia's economic development since 1967 can be categorized intothree different periods. Between 186 and 1914, New York grew from 85 , to four million, Chicago from 11 , to two million, Philadelphia from 65 , to 1.5 million (Zinn, 198 , p. 88). 248). If there was no cosmicguardian, and this time on earth was all there was, then commoners wantedmore from life than long hours and unhealthy working conditions. Moreand more villagers without any rights of land are faced with limited, andoften not so rewarding, options, such as working for wages. Although the New Orderunder President Suharto marked basic shifts in policy from the GuidedDemocracy period (under Sukarno), particularly in the stress on stabilityand development rather than mass mobilization and ideologicalconfrontation, there were also important continuities. Such a climate will be exceptionally congenial to the entrepreneurial exercises of human ingenuity that historically have created business's most pleasant surprises (Brody, 1987, p. In 1967, Suhartobecame president as a result of his popularity from crushing this Communistthreat. (1993, March). Theselosses are being replaced by a more positive development for the U.S.economy, more highly skilled business and health service jobs, which willbe the two fastest growing labor segments during the 199 s and into thefirst decade of the new century. However, the United States is preparing for anew economy in the 199 s and beyond 2 . In line therewith, it is necessary to continue to enhance policies and measures on deregulation and debureaucratization in the economic field (Sumarlin, 1988, p. Some men seemed to bein power because God smiled on them. College-educated black married couples have been closing the gap with whites; they now earn 82.4 percent as much as similarly educated white couples, up from 78.2 percent in 197 (Brody, 1987, p. In the early198 s, the descendants of the former ruling class still enjoyedconsiderable social prestige and were respected by the rest of thepopulation. The government administrators placed in the towns by thecentral government were usually viewed by the population as outsiders. Broadly speaking, there are two types of urban centers: metropolitancities, like Jakarta and Surabaya on Java; and, regional towns, such asMalang and Bandung on Java. This enabled thegovernment to finance quite a few major infrastructure projects involvingeducation, communications, transmigration and the Green Revolution.Manufacturing was funded based on import substitution and the costs oftransportation, energy, fertilizer and food. The limitations of arable land in the denselypopulated areas and the promise of better living conditions, education andemployment in the cities gave rise to high rates of urbanization. After killing six generals in thecentral command of the army, the Communist forces were finally crushed oncemore by the army under the leadership of General Suharto. Indonesia and the United States are similar in recent economicdevelopment. 42.Indonesia: The door slams. The basic humanism of the socialist philosophy formed the foundationsof the equal rights movement of the 196 s. The laws required the doors to open outward and to remainunlocked during business hours. The economicturnaround in Indonesia began when newly elected President Suharto enlistedthe help of a group of economists, educated at the University of Californiaand known as the Berkeley Mafia, to help. One factor thatbodes well for America's economic future is that this is the first time inits history that more than half of the entire population is in theworkforce without having to support more numbers of young or old citizens.Workers are so great that, by the end of the century, the bulge of themiddle-age workers is expected to create a temporary surplus in the oftenstrained Social Security system. Perhaps this period between the end ofthe American Civil War and the beginning of World War I brought moreimportant changes, but the future holds the final judgment. Darwin's influence was seen in the capitalist owners' ranks as well.Their collusion to manipulate the competition among industry, to makethemselves impenetrably fit to survive and rule generated a response fromgovernment in the form of anti-trust legislation. The efforts are sometimes criticized because of theresource depletion of the minerals and hardwoods, which bring much revenue. They maintain their cultural and personal identity by livingin groups separate from the rest of urban society. The Indonesian cities ofBatam, Bali and Jakarta are all striving to increase their industrialbases. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.