The Legacy Events Index

Indonesian Conflict

The Dutch took control of the Indonesian islands in the early 1600s and for three centuries profited from Indonesia's economy, largely at the expense of the local population. In 1942, the Japanese invaded and occupied Indonesia. Anxious to mobilize Indonesian support for their regime, the Japanese gave the popular Sukarno and his associates symbolic political freedom and military training. With its own military and economic concerns, however, the Japanese regime was repressive. It forced tens of thousands of people into conscripted labor and many did not survive. The end of World War II led to an armed struggle and the declaration of the Republic of Indonesia, which the Dutch, who still had interests in the region, agreed to respect. In July 1947, however, the Dutch launched attacks which extended Dutch control to about two-thirds of Java and to many of the large estates and oil fields on Sumatra, blockading the republican territory and inflicting intense economic hardship. Indonesian guerrilla resistance and pressure from the international community gradually motivated the Dutch to accommodate the Indonesians, who gained control over most of Indonesia, with Sukarno as leader, in 1950.

A coup attempt on September 30, 1965, while unsuccessful in eliminating Sukarno, led to the consolidation of military power by General Suharto and his replacement of Sukarno as head of state by March 1966. Blaming the coup attempt on the Communist PKI, army units and many Muslim groups began massacring Communists and their supporters. Between 300,000 to 1 million people were killed in the Communist crackdown. The government also arrested hundreds of thousands of people accused of involvement in the coup attempt. Opposition to Suharto's rule grew steadily in the late 1980s and early 1990s, although many Indonesians were afraid to express their views openly. After protests and riots broke out (in which government troops killed hundreds) over the reelection of Suharto and the sudden economic downturn in 1997, President Suharto resigned.

Ever since the Republic of Indonesia was formed in 1945, rebel groups representing a variety of interests, from local secessionist movements, to religious groups, to indigenous uprisings, have violently contested the Indonesian government's right to rule. Today, Indonesia's social and regional conflicts in which thousands of people have been killed or uprooted from their homes, in addition to the nation's economic problems, are the major issues confronting the post-Suharto governments of this region. Click here for more information from Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2001.

Related Visual Art

Holy People Above Lead Poisoning, Hanura Hosea, Indonesia
Synthetic Mud, Hanura Hosea, Indonesia
The Blue Screen Which is Agreed, Hanura Hosea, Indonesia
The Gas People, Hanura Hosea, Indonesia
At the Political Reform, Nyoman Nuarta, Indonesia
The Gang of Four, Nyoman Nuarta, Indonesia
Proposing Violence, Isa Perkasa, Indonesia
The Bharatayudha Arena, Isa Perkasa, Indonesia
The Tragedy of Watermelon and Violence, Isa Perkasa, Indonesia
Toward Conflict in Democracy, Isa Perkasa, Indonesia
Waiting for Death, Ivan Sagita, Indonesia
Jalan Pikiran Kita Hampir Mati (Our Thinking Almost Die), Tisna Sanjaya, Indonesia
Schizophrenic Culture I, Tisna Sanjaya, Indonesia
The Party of Thieves I, Tisna Sanjaya, Indonesia
Wrecked Airplane 1947 series, Srihadi Sudarsono, Indonesia
Self Portrait, Agus Suwage, Indonesia
What is Wrong With Chinese?, Anna Zuchriana, Indonesia
Which One Should be Covered?, Anna Zuchriana, Indonesia

Related Films

After the Curfew
Leaf on a Pillow
Woman of Courage