Revolusi Indonesia and the birth of the modern world

The war that brought independence to the world's fourth-largest country plays out on a resonantly human scale in this captivating chronicle of the 1945--1949 Indonesian revolution. Historian Van Reybrouck (Congo) paints a rich portrait of a stratified pre-WWII colonial society in the Dutch East Indies, then recaps the upheavals that demolished Dutch authority: the Japanese occupation during WWII that destroyed the colonial administration while giving Indonesians experience in military resistance, the dramatic 1945 declaration of an independent republic, and the chaotic conflict that pitted young republican firebrands against Dutch and pro-Dutch Indonesian forces and later devolved into civil war among Islamist, communist, and nationalist Republican factions. Van Reybrouck's sweeping narrative situates the revolution as the prototype for the rest of the 20th century's decolonization struggles, but he keeps the focus on individual experiences gleaned from interviews with participants, bringing to life their youthful enthusiasm ("I was fourteen. I left with friends. That way I was able to get away from my mean stepmother too!")and trauma ("They shot six times. In his right foot, his left foot, his right knee, his left knee, the right side of his chest, the left side of his chest"). The result is a vivid recreation of a watershed event in world history. (Apr.)

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. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.