State and Revolution in the Making of the Indonesian Republic

Abstract

While much ink has been spilled in the effort of explaining the Indonesian National
Revolution, major questions remain unanswered. What was the true character of the
Indonesian revolution, and when did it end? This article builds a case for viewing
Indonesia’s revolution from a new perspective. Based on a revisionist reading of classic
texts on the Revolution, I argue that the idea of a singular, elite-driven and Java-centric
"revolution" dismisses the central meaning of the revolution itself, as it was
simultaneously national and regional in scope, political and social in character, and it
spanned more than the five years as it was previously examined.