Nationalists, soldiers, and separatists : : the Ambonese islands from colonialism to revolt, 1880-1950 / / Richard Chauvel.

• Superior document: Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde ; 143
• Author: Chauvel, Richard.
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden : : KITLV Press,, 2008.; c1990.
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Edition: 2nd ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 143.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (448 p.)
• Notes: Reprint. originally published in 1990.

On 25 April 1950 the Republic of the South Moluccas was proclaimed in Ambon Town. Not until December, after a breakdown in negotiations and a protracted battle, did the Indonesian army take control of Ambon Island. In remote parts of inhospitable Ceram, RMS remnants held out until 1962. This book examines the revolt of the Republic of the South Moluccas in the context of the social and economic changes experienced in Ambonese society during the last century of colonial rule. The author focuses on the emergence of a new group of Christian émigrés—officials, teachers and soldiers—who left their homeland in the service of the Netherlands Indies government, and the dilemma posed for this group by Indonesian nationalism. The upheavals of the Japanese occupation and the Indonesian struggle for independence left Ambon with embryonic democratic institutions, dominated by Ambonese supporters of the Indonesian Republic. The Republic of the South Moluccas was an attempt by some returned émigrés—soldiers and civilians—together with members of the traditional village élite, to (re)establish their authority and preserve their society's independence from the Jakarta government. Chauvel concludes that the proclamation of an independent state, devoid of any forethought or planning, proved a tragedy for the society it was meant to protect. Nationalists, soldiers and separatists is the first work to give such a detailed review of the political developments of Ambon and the Ambonese. It is based on extensive research in government archives in Indonesia, the Netherlands and Australia and on interviews in these three countries with participants from all sides involved.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- Chapter I: Ambonese society and history -- Chapter II: Education and the creation of Christian emigre communities -- Chapter III: From reluctance to dependence: the creation of a military 'caste' and tradition in Ambonese society -- Chapter IV: Ambon and the Indonesian nationalist movement -- Chapter V: Nationalists and raja -- Chapter VI: Patty in Ambon -- Chapter VII: Latuharhary and the Sarekat Ambon revival -- Chapter VIII: Ambon in the 1930's -- Chapter IX: Ambon under the Japanese -- Chapter X: The Ambonese and the proclamation of Indonesian independence -- Chapter XI: A loyal or a nationalist Ambon? -- Chapter XII: The South Moluccas: inside or outside Negara Indonesia Timoer -- Chapter XIII: The dynamics of local politics -- Chapter XIV: The second DMS elections: PIM wins in Ambon, the PTB 'wins' in Holland -- Chapter XV: The pemuda, soldiers and independence -- Chapter XVI: NIT and the transfer of sovereignty -- Chapter XVII: Soekawati, Soumokil and the Republic of East Indonesia -- Chapter XVIII: 'Bikin dulu, baru pikir': the proclamation of the RMS -- Chapter XIX: Ambon under the RMS -- Chapter XX: Conclusion -- Appendix -- Glossary of Indonesian, Ambonese and Dutch words AND ABBREVIATIONS -- Bibliography -- Index.