Indonesian National Revolution
| Indonesian National Revolution | |||||||||
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| Part of Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, the South-East Asian theatre of World War II, the Pacific Theater of World War II, the aftermath of World War II, the decolonisation of Asia and the Cold War in Asia | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Internal conflict: Small guerrilla groups | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Sukarno S.M Kartosoewirjo Amir Fatah Musso A. Sjarifuddin D. N. Aidit |
Louis Beel Willem Drees Hubertus van Mook Simon Spoor A.S. Pinke Tony Lovink A. Widjojoatmodjo Raymond Westerling Louis Mountbatten A.W.S Mallaby † R.G.L. Symonds † Robert Mansergh Philip Christison | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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• 5,500–20,000 Indo people and European civilians killed and 2,500 missing | ||||||||
| History of Indonesia |
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| Timeline |
| Indonesia portal |
The Indonesian National Revolution (Indonesian: Revolusi Nasional Indonesia), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during postwar and postcolonial Indonesia. It took place between Indonesia's declaration of independence in 1945 and the Netherlands' transfer of sovereignty over the Dutch East Indies to the Republic of the United States of Indonesia at the end of 1949.
The four-year struggle involved sporadic but bloody armed conflict, internal Indonesian political and communal upheavals, and two major international diplomatic interventions. Dutch military forces (and, for a while, the forces of the World War II allies) were able to control the major towns, cities and industrial assets in Republican heartlands on Java and Sumatra but could not control the countryside. By 1949, international pressure on the Netherlands, the United States threatening to cut off all economic aid for World War II rebuilding efforts to the Netherlands and the partial military stalemate became such that the Netherlands transferred sovereignty over the Dutch East Indies to the Republic of the United States of Indonesia.
The revolution marked the end of the colonial administration of the Dutch East Indies, except for Dutch New Guinea. It also significantly changed ethnic castes as well as reducing the power of many of the local rulers (raja). It did not significantly improve the economic or political fortunes of the majority of the population, although a few Indonesians were able to gain a larger role in commerce.