Indonesia independent - Photographs 1947-1953 > Independence

The throne room of palace Rijswijk in Linggajati during the signing of the so-called 'naked' agreement, West-Java, Indonesia (march 25, 1947)The international community strongly condemned the military force used by the Dutch. Again negotiations started, this time under the watchful eye of the United Nations.

American mediators concluded that the Republic could no longer be ignored, isolated or destroyed. It was a 'nascent state', a view expressed earlier by Cas Oorthuys in his photo book Een staat in wording (A Nascent State).

Under strong international pressure, the Netherlands finally gave up Indonesia, and the Republic in 1949 became part of the United States of Indonesia. The federal state of Indonesia, which in the opinion of the Dutch was excellently tailored to the diversity of the population, was dismantled by 1950 and all the federal republics were incorporated in the Republic of Indonesia.

Examples from this collection Indonesia independent - Photographs 1947-1953

View all images of this collection