Conflict episode

Indonesian National Revolution, 1945-1949

Following the Netherlands' refusal to recognise the 1945 proclamation, an armed and diplomatic struggle included the Linggadjati Agreement (1946), two Dutch "police action" offensives, and the Renville Agreement (1948); casualty estimates for the conflict vary widely and are not resolved to a single figure.

What happened

The Linggadjati Agreement, concluded 15 November 1946, saw the Netherlands recognise the Republic's de facto authority over Java, Madura and Sumatra. The Netherlands nonetheless launched a military offensive, the "First Police Action," in July 1947, breaching that agreement; the resulting Renville Agreement, ratified 17 January 1948, recognised Republican control over smaller areas of Java and Sumatra while leaving the Dutch in control of territory seized in the offensive. A second Dutch offensive followed in December 1948. Published casualty estimates for the conflict as a whole vary widely: Indonesian combat deaths are estimated at roughly 45,000-100,000, civilian deaths at 25,000-100,000, and more than 5,000 Dutch soldiers were killed; a separate period of revolutionary violence known as the "Bersiap" is estimated to have caused 3,500-30,000 deaths. Some overall estimates place total deaths at roughly 100,000-250,000, though no single figure is treated as authoritative.[1]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: The Linggadjati Agreement, concluded 15 November 1946, saw the Netherlands recognise the Republic's de facto authority over Java, Madura and Sumatra; a Dutch military offensive ("First Police Action") in July 1947 breached the agreement, and the Renville Agreement, ratified 17 January 1948, recognised Republican control over smaller areas of Java and Sumatra while leaving the Dutch in control of territory seized in the offensive. A second Dutch offensive followed in December 1948. Published casualty estimates for the 1945-1949 conflict vary widely: Indonesian combat deaths are estimated at roughly 45,000-100,000, civilian deaths at 25,000-100,000, and more than 5,000 Dutch soldiers were killed; a separate period of revolutionary violence known as the "Bersiap" is estimated to have caused 3,500-30,000 deaths. Some overall estimates place total deaths at roughly 100,000-250,000; no single figure is treated as authoritative.

Source note

Show in the notes list