Sutan Sjahrir becomes prime minister

Indonesian youths tore the blue strip from a Dutch tricolor flying at the hotel, leaving the red-and-white Indonesian flag. The confrontation became a public assertion of sovereignty in a city where...

The new republic formed the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat (TKR), building a national defense force amid the arrival of Allied troops and Dutch efforts to restore authority. The force’s creation expressed...

Fighting escalated after British forces demanded Indonesian arms and attempted to reassert control. Indonesian fighters defended the proclaimed republic; the battle exposed the colonial assumptions...

Vice-President Mohammad Hatta issued a government declaration encouraging the formation of political parties. It broadened political organization in the new republic and supported a plural public...

British forces launched a major attack on Surabaya. Indonesian resistance and civilian flight caused immense destruction. The battle became a defining symbol of the revolution and of popular...

The Indonesian government moved its seat from Jakarta to Yogyakarta as Dutch and Allied military presence made the capital unsafe. The relocation helped sustain republican administration outside...

The agreement recognized Republican authority over Java, Madura, and Sumatra and envisaged a federal United States of Indonesia linked to the Netherlands. Recognition was partial and conditional,...

The Netherlands and Republic of Indonesia signed the Linggadjati text after months of dispute. Its recognition of Republican control over Java, Madura, and Sumatra fell short of full independence...

Dutch forces attacked Republican-held territory to seize economic assets and weaken the republic. The Dutch government called the campaign a “police action,” a euphemism that obscured a war of...

A ceasefire halted much of the fighting, but Dutch forces retained territory gained in the offensive. The truce did not resolve the conflict over Indonesian sovereignty.