Destination Indonesia

History of Indonesia

Island kingdoms

Under the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism, several kingdoms were formed on the islands of Sumatra and Java from the 7th to 14th century. The arrival of the Arab traders from India later introduced Islam to the archipelago, which went on to become the dominant religion in many parts of the country after the collapse of Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms.

European influence

When the Europeans came in the early 16th century, they arrived to a multitude of small states. These were very vulnerable to the Europeans, who were looking at dominating the spice trade. In the 17th century, the Dutch emerged as the most powerful of the Europeans, ousting the Spanish and Portuguese (except for a small colony of Portuguese on the island of Timor).

The Dutch influence started with trading by the Dutch East India Company, a private enterprise, which gradually expanded its region of influence and increased its grip on political matters. Following the dissolution of the Dutch East India Company in 1799, and coupled with political instability from the Napoleonic Wars, the East Indies were awarded to the Netherlands in 1815. From this time onward, the East Indies were officially ruled as colonies of the Dutch crown.

World War II

During World War II, with the Netherlands under German occupation, Japan began a five pronged campaign towards Java and the vital fuel supplies of the Dutch East Indies. Though Japan had captured Java by March 1942, it was unable to find any national leader willing to cooperate with the Japanese government in its plans against the Dutch. General Sukarno, along with his colleagues, cooperated with the Japanese occupiers. In 1945, with the war drawing to a close, Sukarno seized the opportunity to declare independence. Upon lobbying, Japan agreed that Sukarno establish a committee to plan for independence. Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declared independence on 17 August.

Indonesia’s war for independence

In an effort to regain control of their previously occupied colonies, the Allies sent in their armies, including the Netherlands’ Army. Indonesia’s war for independence lasted from 1945 until 27 December 1949, when, under heavy international pressure, the Netherlands acknowledged Indonesia’s independence. Sukarno became the country’s first president, with Mohammad Hatta as the first vice-president. It was not until 16 August 2005 that the Dutch government finally recognized 1945 as the country’s year of independence and expressed its regrets over the Indonesian deaths caused by the Netherlands’ Army.

Sukarno

The 1950s and 1960s saw Sukarno’s government aligning itself first with the emerging non-aligned movement and later with the socialist bloc. The 1960s saw Indonesia in a military confrontation against neighboring Malaysia, and increasing frustration over domestic economic difficulties.

Suharto

In the aftermath of Suharto’s rise, hundreds of thousands of people were killed or imprisoned in a backlash against alleged Communist supporters. Suharto’s administration is commonly called the New Order era. Suharto invited major foreign investment into the country, which produced substantial, if uneven, economic growth. However, Suharto enriched himself and his family through widespread corruption and he was forced to step down amid massive popular demonstrations and a faltering economy by the Indonesian Revolution of 1998.

Post-Suharto: 1998 and beyond

In the period of 1998 to 2001, the country had three presidents: Bacharuddin Jusuf (BJ) Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri.

In 2004 the largest one-day election in the world and Indonesia’s first direct Presidential election was held, and was won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Parts of northern Sumatra, particularly Aceh, were devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004.