Indonesia
Indonesia, 1945 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Japan surrendered to the Allies on 15 August 1945, and two days later Sukarno proclaimed Indonesian independence, with Hatta co-signing the declaration. On 27 December 1949, the Netherlands transferred sovereignty to the federal United States of Indonesia, except over western New Guinea. The federal states soon dissolved, and a unitary republic was proclaimed on 17 August 1950.
Seat of power: Jakarta
Rulers
Sukarno
President of Indonesia, 1945–1967
Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declared Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945, and Sukarno was appointed president. He led the Indonesian resistance to Dutch re-colonisation efforts via diplomatic and military means until the Dutch recognition of Indonesian independence in 1949. In 1959 he restored the 1945 Constitution, which established the Guided Democracy, a system characterised by dominant presidential authority, less regional autonomy and reduced role for political parties.
Portrait of Sukarno: Onbekend/Anonymous, Public domain, file
Sjafruddin Prawiranegara
President of Indonesia, 1948–1949
In December 1948, a Dutch offensive captured the Indonesian revolutionary leaders including President Sukarno, and Sjafruddin formed the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia on 22 December. For seven months in West Sumatra, he became the head of government of Indonesia, allowing the government to continue functioning and ensuring continued resistance. Sjafruddin returned his governing mandate to Sukarno in July 1949.
Portrait of Sjafruddin Prawiranegara: Fotograaf Onbekend / DLC, CC0, file
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Assaat
President of Indonesia, 1949–1950
He was the only President of the Yogyakarta-based Republic of Indonesia before it became part of the United States of Indonesia. Assaat was captured by the Dutch army and sent to exile on Bangka Island along with other nationalist leaders.
Portrait of Assaat: Ministry of Information of the Republic of Indonesia, Public domain, file
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Suharto
President of Indonesia, 1967–1998
An attempted coup on 30 September and 1 October 1965 was countered by Suharto-led troops, and the army subsequently led a nationwide violent anti-communist purge. During much of his presidency, Indonesia underwent rapid industrialisation and sustained economic growth. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 caused a sharp economic downturn, followed by protests and unrest, which culminated in his resignation in May 1998.
Portrait of Suharto: State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia, Public domain, file
B. J. Habibie
President of Indonesia, 1998–1999
Upon becoming president, he liberalized Indonesia's press and political party laws. He ended Indonesian occupation of East Timor, which led to that country's independence. He held an early democratic election three years sooner than scheduled, which resulted in the end of his presidency.
Portrait of B. J. Habibie: Office of the Vice PresidentThe Republic of Indonesia, Public domain, file
Abdurrahman Wahid
President of Indonesia, 1999–2001
Wahid was instrumental in lifting the ban on Chinese New Year. He established Confucianism as the sixth official religion in Indonesia in 2000 and protected minority rights in Indonesia.
Portrait of Abdurrahman Wahid: National Information and Communication Agency Republic of Indonesia, Public domain, file
Megawati Soekarnoputri
President of Indonesia, 2001–2004
Megawati Sukarnoputri became president in 2001 when Abdurrahman Wahid was impeached and removed from office. She ran for re-election in the 2004 presidential election, but was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Portrait of Megawati Soekarnoputri: National Information Agency Republic of Indonesia, Public domain, file
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President of Indonesia, 2004–2014
Yudhoyono won the 2004 presidential election, the first direct presidential election in Indonesia, defeating incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Yudhoyono successfully negotiated a deal that ended the Aceh insurgency, an insurgency which lasted from 1976 to 2005.
Portrait of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono: Government of Indonesia, Public domain, file
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Joko Widodo
President of Indonesia, 2014–2024
Before becoming president, he served as mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012 and as governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014. As president, he prioritised infrastructure development, social welfare expansion, bureaucratic reform, and economic development. Other major initiatives of his presidency included the planned relocation of Indonesia's capital to Nusantara.
Portrait of Joko Widodo: Ministry of State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia (Kementerian Sekretariat Negara Republik Indonesia), Public domain, file
Prabowo Subianto
President of Indonesia, 2024 to today
Before becoming president, he served as the 26th minister of defence under President Joko Widodo. Under Prabowo Subianto, the government pursued a fiscally expansive programme, and revised a military law in 2025, which allowed more active officers to serve in civilian posts.
Portrait of Prabowo Subianto: .1./.I. .Pradika Indra Putra Presiden Jendral ⭐ 5. .Negara Republik Indonesia.N.R.I., Public domain, file
Culture
- Indonesia has hundreds of ethnic groups and more than 700 languages, alongside diverse regional cultures. This diversity is reflected in the national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, meaning "unity in diversity".
- Indonesian, a standardised variety of Malay, is the official and national language and its lingua franca. More than half of Indonesians live on Java, the most heavily populated island in the world.
- After the 30 September Movement killed six generals in 1965, army general Suharto's forces took control of Jakarta. The ensuing anti-communist campaign spread across several regions, and at least 500,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were detained.
- In 1975, Indonesia invaded Portuguese Timor and annexed the territory the following year. In a UN-supervised referendum in 1999, a majority of people in East Timor voted against remaining part of Indonesia.
Picture
The National Monument is a 132 m obelisk in the centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, built to commemorate the struggle for Indonesian independence.
Image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC-BY-SA-3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.