Indonesia History

HOW DEEP YOU KNOW INDONESIA?

Republic of Indonesia, abbreviated RI or Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia which is crossed by the equator and is located between the continents of Asia and Australia and between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world that consists of 13 466 islands, the name commonly used alternative is the archipelago. With a population of over 237 million people in 2010, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and the biggest Muslim country in the world, with more than 207 million people. Indonesia is a republic form of government, the House of Representatives, Regional Representatives Council and the President elected directly.

MAP OF INDONESIA

The capital city is Jakarta. Indonesia land borders with Malaysia on Borneo Island, Papua New Guinea on the island of Papua and East Timor on the island of Timor. Other neighboring countries include Singapore, Philippines, Australia, and the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.

Indonesia's history is heavily influenced by other nations. The Indonesian archipelago became an important trade region since at least the 7th century, when the kingdom of Sriwijaya in Palembang religion and trade relations with China and India. Kingdoms Hindu and Buddhist has grown in the early centuries AD, followed by the traders who brought Islam, as well as various European powers fought one another to monopolize the spice trade of Maluku during the era of ocean exploration. After being under Dutch colonial rule, Indonesia which was then called the Dutch East Indies declared its independence at the end of World War II. Furthermore, Indonesia received various obstacles, threats and challenges of natural disasters, corruption, separatism, a democratization process, and periods of rapid economic change. 

From Sabang to Merauke, Indonesia consists of various ethnic groups, languages and religions. Based on the ethnic group (race), Indonesia consists of native indigenous peoples the South Mongoloid / Austronesian and Melanesia where the Austronesian peoples of the largest in number and more inhabit the western part of Indonesia. More specifically, ethnic Javanese are the largest ethnic group with a population reaching 41.7% of the entire population of Indonesia. Indonesia's national motto, "Unity in Diversity" ("Different but still one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the country. Besides having a dense population and vast territory, Indonesia has natural areas that support biodiversity levels in the world's second largest. 

Indonesia is also a member of the United Nations and the only member ever to come out of the UN, namely on January 7, 1965, and rejoined on 28 September 1966 and Indonesia remains declared as members of the 60th, the same membership since joining Indonesia on 28 September 1950. In addition to the United Nations, Indonesia is also a member of ASEAN, KAA, APEC, OIC, G-20 and will be a member of the OECD.

Early History

Fossilized remains of Homo erectus, which by anthropologists also dubbed "Java Man", raises suspicion that the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited two million to 500,000 years ago. Austronesian people, who form the majority of the modern population, migrated to South East Asia from Taiwan. They arrived around 2000 BC, and caused Melanesians who have been there earlier there pushed into areas far eastern islands. Conditions ideal place for agriculture, and control of rice cultivation since at least the 8th century BC, causing many villages, towns, and small kingdoms grow well in the first century AD. Moreover, Indonesia is located in the international sea trade lanes and between islands, has become a shipping line between India and China for centuries. History of Indonesia subsequently experienced a lot of influence from such trading activity.

Under the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism, several kingdoms formed on the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and Java since the 4th century until the 14th century. Kutai, is the oldest kingdom in the archipelago that stands in the 4th century in the upper Mahakam River in East Kalimantan. In the western region of the island of Java, in the 4th century until the 7th century AD stood Tarumanegara kingdom. Tarumanagara administration followed by the Kingdom of Sunda from the year 669 AD to 1579 AD In the 7th century Malay kingdoms appear centered in Jambi, Sumatra. Sriwijaya beat Malay and emerged as the most powerful maritime kingdom in the archipelago. He ruled over Sumatra, Java, the Malay peninsula, while controlling the trade in the Strait of Malacca, Sunda Strait and South China Sea. Under the influence of Srivijaya, between the 8th century and the 10th dynasty and Sanjaya dynasty succeeded in developing agriculture-based kingdoms in Java, with its historic relics such as Borobudur and Prambanan temples. At the end of the 13th century, Majapahit stands in the eastern part of the island of Java. Under the leadership of mahapatih Gajah Mada, its influence stretched over much of Indonesia today; and is often called the "Golden Age" in Indonesian history.

The arrival of traders Arabic and Persian through Gujarat, India, then brought Islam. Besides Chinese sailors led by Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He) Muslim, also never stop in this region in the early 15th century. The merchants also spread Islam in some parts of the archipelago. Samudera Pasai which was founded in 1267, is the first Islamic kingdom in Indonesia.

Colonialism

Indonesia is also a country that was colonized by many European countries as well as Asia, because since time immemorial Indonesia is a country that is rich in natural abundant, to make European countries are tempted to colonize and intends to take control of natural resources for income for the country, the State -states that once colonized Indonesia, among others:

    Portuguese in 1509, only Maluku, then were driven in in 1595
    Spain in 1521, only North Sulawesi, but were repulsed in 1692.
    The Netherlands in 1602, most of Indonesia.
    France (1795-1811). France conquered the Dutch Republic in 1795 in the French Revolutionary Wars, and France established the Batavian Republic (1795-1806) and the Kingdom of Holland (1806-1810) whose status as a vassal state of France. Thus, indirectly, French is the supreme ruler of the Dutch East Indies. In 1810 Kingdom of Holland merged into First French Empire, so the Dutch East Indies became French colonies directly. Nevertheless administration and defense still held by residents of the Netherlands (including Herman Willem ruling Daendels 1908-1811 and known pro-French) French power ended in 1811 when the British defeated the strength of the Dutch-French island of Java.
    Great Britain in 1811, since the signing of the capitulation Tungtang one of which contains the delivery of Java from the Netherlands to Britain, In 1814 it was performed in the London Convention which the Dutch government in power back on British colonies in Indonesia. Then new in 1816, the British government in Indonesia is officially over.
    Japan in 1942 and ended in 1945, because of the defeat of Japan to the Allied forces.

When the Europeans came in the early 16th century, they found several kingdoms that easily can they control in order to dominate the spice trade. Portuguese first landed at the two ports the Kingdom of Sunda: Banten and Sunda Kelapa, but can be expelled and move eastward and master Maluku. In the 17th century, the Netherlands emerged as the strongest among the other European countries, defeating the United Kingdom and Portugal (except for their colony of Portuguese Timor). At the time that Christianity came to Indonesia as one of the old imperialism mission, known as 3G, namely Gold, Glory, and Gospel. Dutch controlled Indonesia as a colony until World War II, initially through the VOC, and then directly by the Dutch government since the beginning of the 19th century.

Under the system Cultuurstelsel (Cultivation System) in the 19th century, large plantations and forced cultivation implemented in Java, ultimately resulted in benefits for the Netherlands which can not be produced VOCs. In the reign of colonial freer after 1870, the system is removed. After 1901 the Dutch introduced the Ethical Policy, which includes a limited political reform and greater investment in the Dutch East Indies.

During World War II, when the Dutch colonized by Germany, Japan seized Indonesia. After getting Indonesia in 1942, the Japanese saw that the fighters Indonesian trading partners are cooperative and willing to deploy troops when needed. Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta, KH. Mas Mansur, and Ki Hajar Dewantara awarded by the Emperor of Japan in 1943.

Indonesian Independence

In March 1945 Japan formed a committee for Indonesian independence. After the Pacific war ended in 1945, under pressure from youth organizations, Soekarno-Hatta proclaimed Indonesian independence on August 17, 1945 which at that time was the month of Ramadan. After independence, the three founding fathers Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta and Sutan Sjahrir each served as president, vice president and prime minister. In an effort to regain control of Indonesia, the Netherlands sent their troops.

Bloody attempts to quell the independence movement came to be known by the Dutch as a 'police action' (Politionele Actie), otherwise known by the people of Indonesia as a military aggression. Netherlands finally accepted the right of Indonesia to independence on December 27, 1949 as a federal state called the Republic of Indonesia after receiving strong pressure from the international community, especially the United States. Mosi Integral Natsir on August 17, 1950, calling for the return of the unitary Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of Indonesia to dissolve States. Soekarno again became president with Mohammad Hatta as vice president and Mohammad Natsir as prime minister.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Sukarno government began to follow once pioneering non-aligned movement at first, then became closer with the socialist bloc, for example, the People's Republic of China and Yugoslavia. The 1960s witnessed the military confrontation against neighboring Malaysia ("Confrontation"), and dissatisfaction with the growing economic difficulties. Subsequently in 1965 erupted G30S incident that caused the death of six generals and a number of other middle-ranking officers. New power emerged that calls itself the New Order who immediately accused the Communist Party of Indonesia as the brains behind this incident and intend to overthrow the legitimate government and replacing national ideology be based on socialist-communist. This charge as well as a reason to replace the old rule under President Sukarno.

General Suharto became Acting President in 1967 with a view to securing the country from the threat of communism. While the physical condition weakened Sukarno himself. After Suharto's rule, hundreds of thousands of Indonesian citizens suspected of involvement in the communist party were killed, while many more Indonesian citizens who were abroad, do not dare to return to their homeland, and finally revoked his citizenship. Thirty-two years of Soeharto's rule called New Order, while the reign of Sukarno called Old Order.

Suharto implement neoliberal economics and managed to bring huge foreign investment to enter Indonesia and generate substantial economic growth, although uneven. At the beginning of the New Order Indonesia both economic policy drawn up by a group of economists graduated from the Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, who was called "Berkeley Mafia". However, Suharto increase his wealth and his family through the practice of corruption, collusion, and nepotism are widespread and he was forced to step down after massive demonstrations and the worsening economic conditions of the country in 1998.

The transition period Reform Order or the Reform Era lasted from 1998 to 2001, when there were three future presidents: Bacharuddin Joseph (BJ) Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri. In 2004, General Election is held in the world's largest single-day, which was won by Yudhoyono as president elected directly by the people, who served for two terms (2004-2009 and from 2009 to 2014). Currently, the position of president of Indonesia held by Joko Widodo.

Indonesia is experiencing economic problems, political and religious conflicts in the country nuanced, and some regions are trying to break away from the auspices of the Homeland, particularly Papua. East Timor formally split in 1999 after 24 years together with Indonesia and 3 years under UN administration, East Timor became the country.

In December 2004 and March 2005, Aceh and Nias hit by two major earthquakes which in total killed hundreds of thousands of lives. (See the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the Sumatra earthquake of March 2005.) This incident was followed by the Yogyakarta earthquake and tsunami that hit Pangandaran Beach and its surroundings, as well as mud flood in Sidoarjo in 2006 are not being solved.