REVOLUSI

A study of Indonesia’s complex, conflicted, and inspiring path to freedom.

Despite being the fourth most populous country in the world, Indonesia often seems to float on the periphery, unknown and ignored. Van Reybrouck, a historian with connections to the region and author of Congo: The Epic History of a People, sheds valuable light on Indonesia’s struggle for independence, which became a liberation model. Before the Dutch arrived with imperial dreams in the 19th century, Indonesia was a sprawling archipelago of disparate kingdoms and sultanates. It was unified under a colonial administration, but cultural divisions persisted. When the Japanese conquered the region during World War II, they were welcomed as liberators, although it soon became clear that they were worse than the Dutch. A national consciousness and a generation of anti-colonial leaders soon emerged, most notably the charismatic but volatile Sukarno. The one-named leader declared independence soon after the Japanese surrender, but making the new nation work was problematic. The Dutch tried to reclaim their former position but eventually realized that the country no longer had a place for them. Sukarno unified the communists, nationalists, and Islamists, although once the colonialists had been expelled, the coalition fell into disarray, leading to a cycle of violence and retribution. Sukarno’s government became increasingly chaotic and socialistic, and when he was displaced by an American-sponsored coup, another round of bloody strife followed. Van Reybrouck manages to keep this convoluted account flowing, punctuating the story with interviews to provide a human dimension. At nearly 600 pages, the book is not an easy read, and it has a huge cast of players. Nevertheless, anyone who wants to understand Asian political development and the process of decolonization will find it a useful, important text.

This comprehensive, detailed book reiterates and deciphers a critical chapter in Asian and global history.