Dutch Indonesia, 1945-1949
G3 Full History - syllabus K330, 2027
How Indonesia won independence from 1945 to 1949: the proclamation, the fight against the Dutch, the talks, Madiun and outside pressure.
- Japanese rule changed the balance
Japan's defeat of the Dutch in 1942 showed colonial rule could be beaten, and gave some Indonesians skills to organise later.
- A declaration becomes a government
Sukarno and Hatta declared independence on 17 August 1945, then built a government to make that claim real.
- The Dutch return met resistance
The Dutch captured towns and leaders, but guerrilla fighters and an emergency government kept the Republic alive.
- Talking and fighting at the same time
Agreements gave the Republic a seat at the table, but fighting went on because the two sides still disagreed about power.
- Madiun changed US views
When the Republic crushed a communist revolt at Madiun in 1948, the US saw it as a non-communist partner worth supporting.
- Pressure brought the 1949 handover
Indonesian resistance and pressure from the UN and the US made Dutch rule too costly, so the Netherlands handed over power in 1949.
- Put it together: Which date answers the question?
Separate declaring independence, keeping a government and resistance alive, and securing the Dutch transfer. Each outcome needs a different explanation.
What you will be able to do
I can weigh up how the Japanese Occupation and World War II weakened colonial rule and strengthened nationalists.
Syllabus K330, Decolonisation and establishment of newly independent nations in Southeast Asia, Learning Outcomes. Assess the immediate impact of World War II on decolonisation in Southeast Asia.
Taught in Japanese rule changed the balance, A declaration becomes a government
I can weigh up how fear of communism during the Cold War shaped the path to independence in Southeast Asia.
Syllabus K330, Decolonisation and establishment of newly independent nations in Southeast Asia, Learning Outcomes. Assess how the Cold War politics affected the struggle for independence in Southeast Asia.
Taught in Madiun changed US views
I can weigh up how the returning European powers responded to demands for independence, by force or by talks.
Syllabus K330, Decolonisation and establishment of newly independent nations in Southeast Asia, Learning Outcomes. Assess the responses by the European powers to Southeast Asia's struggle for independence.
Taught in The Dutch return met resistance, Talking and fighting at the same time
I can weigh up how independence was won in Southeast Asia, through fighting, talks or cooperation.
Syllabus K330, Decolonisation and establishment of newly independent nations in Southeast Asia, Learning Outcomes. Assess how independence was achieved in Southeast Asia.
Taught in A declaration becomes a government, Pressure brought the 1949 handover
Sources and context
Background reading for this chapter.
- FRUS, Livengood telegram, 20 September 1948
Republican government statement reported by US consul general Walter Livengood, 20 September 1948; paraphrase.
- FRUS, State Department aide-memoire to the British Embassy, 4 March 1949
US Department of State aide-memoire to the British Embassy, 4 March 1949, published in Foreign Relations of the United States; paraphrase.