Resisting Return to Dutch Colonial Rule: Political Upheaval after Japanese Surrender during the Independence Movement in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

Central Sulawesi is a part of Indonesia with a fascinating history during the revolutionary period (1945–1950), owing to several important events related to Indonesian sovereignty. This study uses historical methods to examine the involvement of the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration and its effort to recolonize the area. The Malino Conference, which led to the formation of the State of East Indonesia, was intended to legitimize the federated state under Dutch control and reduce the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. The Central Sulawesi Indonesian People’s Struggle Party is a unification of political parties that consistently maintained Central Sulawesi as part of the Republic of Indonesia, strengthening its bargaining position with the Dutch. This situation brought strong pressure to bear upon the Netherlands to immediately recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.