Foreword 1 The colonial state: violence and modernity, resistance and repression, 1900–19412 The Japanese occupation: hope, exploitation and mobilisation, 1942–1945 3 The proclamation, May–September 19454 Local revolutions: bersiap and daulat, October 1945 to mid-19465 The Dutch reoccupation and decolonisation, 1945–19466 The Persatuan Perdjuangan, October 1945 to May 19467 The army, June–July 19468 Diplomacy and warfare, August 1946 to January 19489 Federalism, 1947–194810 Civil war, February–November 194811 The second attack on the Republic, October 1948 to January 194912 Violence, diplomacy and independence, 194913 Unity, 1950Epilogue Biographical sketches of some of the main charactersList of illustrationBibliographyIndexUnder the slogan ‘Merdeka!’, the Republic of Indonesia rushed into a battle for independence – a struggle whose outcome no one could predict. Harry Poeze and Henk Schulte Nordholt provide a new narrative about the revolution, focusing not only on the fight against the Dutch but also on the precarious rise of the Republic."After the horrors of the Japanese occupation, the Republican leaders needed to somehow build a new state. From the Dutch side, they had to deal with short-sighted politicians and warmongering soldiers. On its own side, the Republic was confronted with wayward and combative youths, autonomous military leaders, conservative federalists, revolutionary communists, and radical Muslims. Coup d’états, a civil war and two Dutch military attacks threatened the survival of the Republic. That is why the victory finally achieved by the Indonesian leaders is the revolution’s greatest miracle.