The Sukarno Revolution

Abstract

The Sukarno revolution, like all revolutions, included three crucial phases: the period of struggle against an existing government; the taking of power; and the subsequent attempt to reshape society under the aegis of a new regime. This tidy delineation necessarily disguises many conflicting trends, cross-themes and confusions. Foreign powers often have an interest in muddying the revolutionary waters or even in restoring the old regime; there are inevitable tensions between the role of the revolution-maker and the revolution-consolidator — and between the various leaders of the revolutionary movement. In such circumstances it is quite impossible, despite the urgings of the political purists, to divorce the course of the revolution from the individual personalities of its leaders, or from the prevailing ideological climate. The Indonesian revolution was shaped by many factors, including the character of Achmed Sukarno, the character of Indonesia’s political culture, and the ubiquitous pressures of the Cold War.