Modern Indonesian literature : the earliest years

Abstract

Before 1945 very little was known of Indonesia except that it was a oolony of the Dutch (known as the Netherlands Fast Indies) in an area known as South-east Asia. 1 The proclamation of national independence on 17 August or that year, followed by almost 5 years of armed struggle against its former colonial master for national survival, made the outside world slowly but steadily aware or Indonesia as a political entity. The Indonesians then ma.de a series of attempts to set up an effective national government with a democratic base but without any apparent sucoesso The ensuing rise and fall of goverrunents resulted in political turmoil and economic chaos.