Social Unrest

Abstract

There are various reasons for centring our attention upon social unrest in 19th-century Ban ten. Firstly, it may resolve itself into social movements which dominated the historical scene in that area.1 Social upheavals accompanied by the disruption of traditional values were marked by discontent, excitement and restlessness among the population. Such a situation was fraught with social tension and conflict, which were conducive to outbursts of rebellion. Secondly, the account of social unrest and some of the political consequences is intended to illustrate the propensity to revolt or the presence of a tradition of rebellion in Ban ten. The prevalence of popular unrest expressed itself in recurrent outbreaks not only of risings but also of conspiracies or social banditry. When the people were prevented by the situation from releasing their tension by means of rebellious activities, they could find an outlet for their frustrations in religious movements. Thirdly, social unrest should also be explained in terms of social phenomena, reflecting the unofficial distribution of power in an oppressed society. Besides the élite groups or power holders mentioned in Chapter III, what concerns us in this section particularly is the revolutionary élite, who apparently possessed effective power outside the political realm of those formally in power. The enduring unrest in Banten is a striking feature reflecting the decay of the regional administration.