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Short History Of indonesia and Culture
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By the time of the Renaissance, the islands of Java and Sumatra had already enjoyed a 1,000-year heritage of advanced civilization spanning two major empires. During the 7th-14th centuries, the Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya flourished on Sumatra. At its peak, the Srivijaya Empire reached as far as West Java and the Malay Peninsula. Also by the 14th century, the Hindu Kingdom of Majapahit had risen in eastern Java. Gadjah Mada, the empire's chief minister from 1331 to 1364, succeeded in gaining allegiance from most of what is now modern Indonesia and much of the Malay archipelago as well. Legacies from Gadjah Mada's time include a codification of law and an epic poem.
Islam arrived in Indonesia sometime during the 12th century and, through assimilation, supplanted Hinduism by the end of the 16th century in Java and Sumatra. Bali, however, remains overwhelmingly Hindu. In the eastern archipelago, both Christian and Islamic proselytizing took place in the 16th and 17th centuries and, currently, there are large communities of both religions on these islands.
Beginning in 1602, the Dutch slowly established themselves as rulers of present-day Indonesia, exploiting the weakness of the small kingdoms that had replaced that of Majapahit. The only exception was East Timor which remained under Portugal until 1975. During 300 years of Dutch rule, the Dutch developed the Netherlands East Indies into one of the world's richest colonial possessions.
During the first decade of this century, an Indonesian independence movement began and expanded rapidly, particularly between the two World Wars. Its leaders came from a small group of young professionals and students, some of whom had been educated in the Netherlands. Many, including Indonesia's first president, Sukarno (1945-67), were imprisoned for political activities.
The Japanese occupied Indonesia for 3 years during World War II. On August 17, 1945, 3 days after the Japanese surrender to the Allies, a small group of Indonesians, led by Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed independence and established the Republic of Indonesia. They set up a provisional government and adopted a constitution to govern the republic until elections could be held and a new constitution written. Dutch efforts to reestablish complete control met strong resistance. After 4 years of warfare and negotiations, the Dutch transferred sovereignty to a federal Indonesian Government. In 1950, Indonesia became the 60th member of the United Nations.
It was always going to be tricky for the founders of an independent Indonesia in the 1950s to stop this unwieldy and autonomous collection of kingdoms and sultanates from breaking apart. A national consciousness needed to be found, a sense of pride instilled and a national identity formed. To achieve this, a series of heroes was created, most of whom were lauded for their opposition to the Dutch. You can often find the names of these national heroes on banknotes and street signs, which still perpetuate their myths today.
Long-term president General Suharto, who was forced to resign in 1998 after decades of tight-fisted control of the country, also believed in the challenge of keeping the country together. However, he resorted to different methods, such as crushing dissent, keeping a close eye on political activity, and censorship of the media. Things have come along a long way since then and in 2004, Indonesia's first-ever direct presidential elections saw Megawati Sukarnoputri replaced by the new president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who still presides over the country, having been re-elected in 2009. The president has identified the fight against terrorism as a key challenge, although thankfully the expected upsurge in Islamic radicalism, after terrorist bombings in Bali and Jakarta in 2002 to 2005, never materialised.
Today, Indonesia is enjoying a period of stability and relative prosperity with the country having ducked the worst of the recent global economic crisis. Independence issues in Aceh (greatly improved since the 2005 peace deal) and Papua, natural disasters, such as frequent earthquakes, and potential terrorist activity all remain challenges for the government.
