Decolonization · 1945-1949

Indonesia: independence and the Dutch

On 17 August 1945 Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia. The Netherlands tried to restore its rule, and four years of war followed before the Dutch transferred sovereignty in December 1949. Students locate the key places on Java and compare Indonesian and Dutch memories.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
13–16
On the map
3 steps, AD 1938 to AD 1960
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

On 17 August 1945 Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia. The Netherlands tried to restore its rule, and four years of war followed before the Dutch transferred sovereignty in December 1949. Students locate the key places on Java and compare Indonesian and Dutch memories.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Indonesian nationalists declared independence on 17 August 1945.
  • Describe the war between the Netherlands and the Republic of Indonesia from 1945 to 1949.
  • Compare how Indonesians and Dutch people remember this period.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1938

A colony of islands

Open the map in 1938 and find the Dutch East Indies. Zoom out to compare its size with the Netherlands. Roughly how many times bigger is it?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1945

Java

Move to 1945 and zoom in on Java. Find Batavia (Jakarta), Yogyakarta and Surabaya. Ask the atlas: "What happened in Jakarta on 17 August 1945?"

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1960

A new country

Move the slider to 1960 and look at the whole archipelago. Ask the atlas: "When did the Netherlands transfer sovereignty to Indonesia, and what happened to western New Guinea?"

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Japan had occupied the islands from 1942 to 1945. Why did that make a return to Dutch rule so hard?
  2. The Dutch government called its two big offensives "police actions". Why would a government choose that name, and is it a fair one?
  3. Civilians suffered violence from several sides, from the bersiap period in 1945-1946 to Dutch army killings in villages. Why is it important to tell all of it?
  4. The United States threatened to stop Marshall aid to the Netherlands. Why did that matter so much?
  5. Indonesians see 17 August 1945 as the birth of their nation; the Dutch long used 27 December 1949. Why does the date matter?
4

Game round

10 min

Play one round of Rule History as Abraham Lincoln, the closest ruler in time, who fought a war to keep his country together. Then discuss: in 1945-1949 the Dutch fought to keep a colony, and Indonesians fought for independence. How is that different?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.