Indonesia Declares Independence: Dutch Chains Broken
Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed Indonesian independence on August 17, 1945, just two days after Japan's surrender, reading a brief declaration from Sukarno's Jakarta home to a small crowd. Japan had occupied the Dutch East Indies since 1942, and its sudden collapse created a power vacuum that Indonesian nationalists seized before the Dutch could return. The Netherlands refused to recognize the declaration and sent troops to reclaim their colony, sparking a four-year armed struggle known as the Indonesian National Revolution. International pressure, particularly from the United States, which threatened to cut Marshall Plan aid, eventually forced the Dutch to recognize Indonesian sovereignty at the Round Table Conference in December 1949.
August 17, 1945
81 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Indonesia
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Sukarno
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Mohammad Hatta
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Indonesian National Revolution
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proclaim the independence
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Dutch Empire
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Sukarno
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Mohammad Hatta
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Proclamation of Indonesian Independence
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Indonesia
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Indonesian National Revolution
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Dutch colonial empire
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Independence Day (Indonesia)
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Nusantara (ciudad)
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Jakarta
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Neocolonialismo
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Netherlands
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Ville nouvelle
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Capitale de l'Indonésie
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Independence
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Kingdom of the Netherlands
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Estado unitario
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Dutch East Indies
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Geschichte der Niederlande
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Geschichte Indonesiens
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Japan
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1949
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List of national independence days
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Gabon
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