United States of Indonesia

The United States of Indonesia was a country that started after the Netherlands stopped ruling the Dutch East Indies in 1949. This happened after four years of disagreement between Indonesian leaders and the Netherlands. On December 27, 1949, during the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, the Netherlands gave power to this new country, called the RIS or RUSI.

This new country was made of several smaller states working together under one government. But it did not last long. In 1950, the United States of Indonesia became a single country called the Republic of Indonesia. This made it easier to govern and brought all parts together under one system. The United States of Indonesia was an important step for Indonesia to become the large, independent nation it is today.

Background

See also: Indonesian War of Independence, Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 67

In 1942, Japanese forces took control of the Dutch East Indies, pushing out the Dutch rulers. When Japan surrendered in 1945, Indonesia’s leader, Sukarno, announced Indonesia’s independence. The Dutch wanted to take back control but faced resistance.

After several talks and some fighting, the Dutch agreed to let Indonesia become independent. On December 27, 1949, they handed over control to the United States of Indonesia, though they kept one area called Western New Guinea. Many Indonesians felt the Dutch were trying to split the country into smaller parts.

Governance

The United States of Indonesia had a legislature with two parts. The People's Representative Council had 50 representatives from the Republic of Indonesia and 100 from other states. The Senate had two members from each state, totaling 32 members. The country was led by a cabinet of 16 people, with Prime Minister Hatta in charge. All of this followed the Federal Constitution of 1949.

Main article: List of members of the Senate of the United States of Indonesia

Constituent entities

The United States of Indonesia had sixteen main parts. Seven of these were called states. The largest was the Republic of Indonesia. It covered parts of Java and Sumatra and had more than 31 million people. The other nine parts were areas once ruled by the Dutch. These areas had populations from 100,000 to 11 million people. There were also smaller groups, but they were not big enough to be separate political areas.

Dissolution

Many Indonesians did not like the idea of a federal system. They felt it was not well-connected and might cause some areas to leave. Also, the leaders in some areas were seen as too friendly with the Dutch.

In early 1950, most parts of the United States of Indonesia joined together into one group called the Republic of Indonesia. By May, the last two areas also agreed to join. On August 17, 1950, President Sukarno officially ended the United States of Indonesia and started the unitary Republic of Indonesia.