Indonesian National Revolution
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since October 2006. |
|
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations. (help, get involved!) This article has been tagged since October 2006. |
 |
Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
| Indonesian National Revolution | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||
| Combatants | |||||||||
 Indonesia |
 Netherlands United Kingdom |
||||||||
| Commanders | |||||||||
| Soekarno Gen. Sudirman |
Simon Spoor, Hubertus van Mook, Sir Philip Christison, EC Mansergh | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| ? | Dutch: 20,000(initial)-150,000(peak) British:30,000+(peak)[1] |
||||||||
- This article describes the events that led to Indonesian independence from the Netherlands in the late 1940s. For the events related to the 1998 fall of President Suharto, see Indonesian 1998 Revolution.
| This article is part of the History of Indonesia series |
|---|
 |
| Pre-colonial Indonesia (before 1602) |
| Srivijaya (3rd century–1400) |
| Sailendra (8th Centry-832) |
| Kingdom of Mataram (752-1045) |
| Kediri (1045–1221) |
| Singhasari (1222–1292) |
| Majapahit Empire (1293–1500) |
| Sultanate of Demak (1475-1518) |
| Mataram Sultanate (1500s to 1700s) |
| Dutch East Indies (1602–1945) |
| Anglo-Dutch Java War (1810–1811) |
| Padri War (1821–1837) |
| Java War (1825–1830) |
| Aceh War (1873–1904) |
| National Revival (1899–1942) |
| Japanese Occupation (1942–1945) |
| Independence (1945–1965) |
| Declaration of Independence (1945) |
| National Revolution (1945–1949) |
| Asian-African Conference (1955) |
| Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation (1962–1965) |
| New Order (1965–1998) |
| Overthrow of Sukarno (1965–1966) |
| Act of Free Choice (1969) |
| Reformasi (1998–present) |
| Revolution of 1998 (1996–1998) |
| 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (2004–present) |
| [Edit this template] |
The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence is the name of the conflict between Indonesia and the Netherlands from the time of Indonesia's declaration of independence in 1945 and the Netherlands recognition of independence in 1949.
[edit] Aftermath of World War Two
- See also: Indonesian Declaration of Independence
After the collapse of Japan at the end of World War II, Indonesian nationalists under Sukarno took the opportunity to declare independence from Dutch colonial rule. With the assistance of indigenous army units created by the Japanese, an independent Republic of Indonesia with Sukarno as its president was proclaimed on August 17, 1945.
The Netherlands, only recently freed from German occupation itself, refused to accept the independence proclamation but initially lacked the means to respond, allowing Republican forces to establish de facto control over parts of the huge archipelago, particularly in some of Java and Sumatra[citation needed]. On the other hand, in the less densely populated outer islands, no effective control was established by either party, leading at times to chaotic conditions.[citation needed]
[edit] Battle in Surabaya
The Battle of Surabaya occurred in November 1945 and was one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolution. In October, skirmishes had broken out between armed Republican militia led by revolutionary leaders such as Bung Tomo, and European internees that were returning to the city following the Japanese surrender. Fighting worsened when British Indian troops landed in the city in support of the Netherlands. Sukarno and Hatta arrived in the city to negotiate a cease fire between the Republicans and the British forces led by General Mallaby. When Mallaby was killed, more British troops were sent into the city in an act of retirbution, and on 10 November the peak of the battle started under the cover of air attacks. The poorly armed Republicans fought for three weeks while thousands died as the population fled to the countryside before the European forces captured the city.
Despite the military defeat suffered by the Republicans, the battle and defence mounted by the Indonesians galvanised the nation and helped garner international support for Indonesia independence. 10 November is now celebrated in Indonesia as 'Heroes Day'.
[edit] Bandung Sea of Fire
During the Dutch Politionele acties - two military operations to reestablish colonial rule - an ultimatum was given for the Indonesian combatants in Bandung to leave. In response, the southern part of Bandung was deliberately burned down in an act of defiance as they left on March 24th 1946; an event which came to be known as Bandung Lautan Api (Bandung Sea of Fire)[1]. A heroic song "Halo-halo Bandung" was sang along by these hundreds of patriots.
During the evacuation process on March 1946, Mohammad Toha, a member of Indonesian militia smuggled several sticks of dynamite to a large scale ammunition dump guarded by Japanese and Dutch troops, near the Dutch military Headquarters in Dayeuh Kolot. After overpowering the guards, he put the dynamite in several warehouses full of ammunition. He detonated the dynamite killing himself and several Dutch, Japanese troops in the area.[citation needed] The explosion created a small lake ("situ") in Dayeuh Kolot. The main street in the area is called "Mohammad Toha Street".
[edit] Dutch reaction
As a consequence, the Dutch were asked to take back control, and the number of NICA forces soon increased dramatically. Initially the Netherlands negotiated with the Republic and came to an agreement at Linggajati, in which the 'United States of Indonesia' were proclaimed, a semi-autonomous federal state keeping as its head the Queen of the Netherlands.
Both sides increasingly accused each other of violating the agreement, and as consequence the hawkish forces soon won out on both sides. A major point of concern for the Dutch side was the fate of members of the Dutch minority in Indonesia, most of whom had been held under deplorable conditions in concentration camps by the Japanese. The Indonesians were accused of not cooperating in liberating these prisoners.
[edit] Massacre in Makassar
From December 11, 1946 to February 21, 1947, DST (Dutch Special Troops) led by Captain Westerling attacked and massacred pro Indonesian militia and its supporters in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Several thousands civilian were killled by the special troops without any trial.
[edit] Police actions and guerilla war
The Netherlands government then mounted a large military force to regain what it believed was rightfully its territory. The two major military campaigns that followed were declared as mere 'police actions' to downplay the extent of the operations. There were atrocities and violations of human rights in many forms by both sides in the conflict. Some 6,000 Dutch and 150,000 Indonesians are estimated to have been killed.
[edit] Madiun Affair
On September 18, 1948, members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Socialist Party (PSI) led by Muso declared an Indonesian Soviet Republic in Madiun. This rebellion against RI was quashed by Indonesian troops. RM Suryo, the governor of East Java, several police officers and religious leaders were killed by the rebels.
[edit] RI Government in Exile
- See also: Dutch military aggression II
Based on previous "Police Actions" by Dutch troops, the strategy council ("Dewan Siasat") of RI had prepared an emergency plan to create "government in exile" in Sumatra or overseas. Mr Sjafruddin Prawiranegara, the minister of prosperity went to Bukittinggi, West Sumatra as a preparation for this emergency plan.
On December 19, 1948, fully armed Dutch troops and paratrooper started an invasion called "2nd Police Actions". The city of Jogyakarta and Surakarta were conquered by Dutch troops.
The president, the vice president and all but 6 of RI ministers were captured by Dutch troops. The leaders were exiled into the island of Bangka.
In Jogyakarta, Surakarta, and surrounding areas, Indonesian forces refused to surrender and continued to wage a major guerrilla war under the leadership of Indonesian military chief of staff, General Sudirman who had escaped the Dutch onslaught.
Before being captured by the Dutch, the RI president had send a telegraph message to Mr. Sjafruddin Prawiranegara in Bukittinggi giving him a mandate to create "RI government in exile".
A similar telegraph was sent to Mr. Maramis, Indonesian Minister of Finance in Srilanka. Unfortunately Mr Sjafruddin Prawiranegara failed to received the message on December 1948. He finally received the message in 1949.
Based on the emergency plan, after the Dutch invasion, on December 22, 1948, Mr. Sjafruddin Prawiranegara established "RI government in exile" (PDRI) in Bukittinggi, Sumatra.
PDRI was forced to move from place to place in West Sumatra, because Dutch troops try to capture its leaders and destroy PDRI. In 1949, PDRI government had contacted the leaders Indonesian forces in Java and the 4 RI government ministers in Java who had escaped from Dutch troops.
Based on Roem-Royen peace agreement on July 13, 1949, Dutch troops will be pulled out from RI regions and the RI leaders will be freed. PDRI is no longer needed, therefore Mr. Sjafruddin Prawiranegara disbanded PDRI and returned the mandate back to the President of RI.
[edit] 1 March General Attacks
After the 2nd "Police Actions" (December 19, 1948), Dutch claimed that Republic of Indonesia (RI) was destroyed and no longer exist.
To disprove this Dutch statement, Gen. Soedirman and Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX plan to attack and conquer Jogyakarta for several hours to tell the world that RI still exist.
On the early morning of March 1, 1949, large number of Indonesian troops and militia led by Lt. Col. Suharto attack Dutch troops in Jogjakarta. On 06.00 siren rang as a command of a large-scale attack. They managed to throw out the Dutch troops from the city and control the city for 6 hours. To re-conquer the city, Dutch troops brought reinforcements (tanks) from Ambarawa and Semarang in the afternoon. Indonesian fighters retreated at 12.00 as scheduled in advance, and the Dutch re-entered the city. This Indonesian scale attack is called Serangan Oemoem 1 Maret (1 March general attack).
Similar attack against Dutch troops in Surakarta was led by Lt. Col. Slamet Riyadi on August 7, 1949.
[edit] Transfer of Sovereignity
The continuing existence of Republican resistance following the second 'Police action', paired with active diplomacy, soon thereafter led to the end of colonial rule. Journalistic opinion in much of the rest of the world, notably in the United States of America, began to disfavor the Dutch. The Netherlands government was forced back into negotiations, and after the Round Table conference in The Hague, the Dutch finally transfer of the Sovereignity of Dutch East Indies to Indonesia, as a federal state, on December 27, 1949.
In the following decades, a diplomatic row between the governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands persisted, over the officially recognized date of Indonesian independence. Indonesians commemorate as the anniversary of the August 17, 1945 day of Sukarno's proclamation as their official independence day holiday. The Netherlands, having taken in a number of loyalist exiles who (for various reasons) viewed Sukarno's government as illegitimate, would only recognize the date of the final withdraw of Dutch forces from Indonesia on December 27, 1949. This changed in 2005 when the Dutch Foreign Minister, Bernard Bot, made several well-publicized goodwill gestures: officially accepting Indonesian independence as beginning on August 17, 1945; expressing a regret for all that suffering caused by the fighting during the war; and attending 60th anniversary commemoration of Sukarno's independence proclamation, as a part of the first Dutch delegation to do so.
[edit] Claim to Indonesia at the Dam Square Monument
Behind the monument on the Dam Square in Amsterdam, commemorating the Netherlands' liberation from Nazi occupation, were placed twelve large potted plants, eleven of which were in soil brought from each of the eleven Dutch provinces while the twelfth was in soil brought from Indonesia. These plants, and the plaque explaining the origin of the soil and implying that Indonesia was a Dutch province, remained on the square well into the 1980's. When the monument was renovated the plants and plaque were inconspicuosly removed by the Dutch governemnt.
[edit] References
- ^ Sitaresmi, Ratnayu. "Social History of The Bandung Lautan Api (Bandung Sea of Fire), 24 March 1946" (pdf). Retrieved on 2008-08-22.
[edit] Further reading
- http://countrystudies.us/indonesia/16.htm
- "Speech by Minister Bot On the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia’s independence declaration" - Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs' apology statement to the Indonesian government and people, dated August 16, 2005.
- J.G.A. Parrot, "Who killed Brigadier Mallaby"; Cornell University; "Indonesia Magazine", July 1976, pg. 91.
- (Indonesian) History of Surabaya.
