Indonesia's Struggle for Merdeka (1945-1949) and T he Japanese Legacy

1. Indonesia's Struggle for Merdeka (1945-1949) and The Japanese Legacy

2. What effect did colonization and Japanese occupation have on the stability of individual countries and across the broader Southeast Asian region? • National (territorial) boundaries were drawn by the colonial powers • Government structures became centralized and streamlined • Local economies became integrated into the global economy but disintegrated during the war • Labor market broadened (forced labor mobilization occurred during war) • Immigrant communities formed • Inter-ethnic and inter-regional conflicts persist in most countries

3. In what ways did Japanese humiliation of Europeans influence local attitudes?

4. Humiliation was mutual, multi-dimensional, complex, insufficiently understood, and deserves circumspect re-examinations • Who humiliated whom and why? • Who felt the humiliation? • What was the source of arrogance that had to be humiliated?

5. How did local legends like the Jayabaya prophecy contribute to the reception of the Japanese? • Jayabaya and Ratu Adil (Just King) • Was the sense of “justice” social, legal, political, economic, or spiritual? • Myths of European and Japanese superiority persisted • Japanese defectors joined the revolutionary forces in Indonesia and Vietnam after the surrender

6. Was the impact of European colonization greater than that of Japanese occupation in determining how a country fought for independence? • The idea of “Indonesia” • The idea of “civilization” • Cultural, political, religious, social and military organizations were formed and reformed under the Dutch and the Japanese rule

7. Would the Indonesian Revolution have taken place without the Japanese occupation? • Dutch official line of thinking • Indonesian nationalist thinking • Japanese line of thinking (the Government, the Army, the Navy, individuals) • Opportunities provided by the Japanese occupation • Regional differences within Indonesia