The Indonesian Revolution and the Singapore Connection, 1945-1949

Yong Mun Cheong

This book explores a little-known phase in the history of both Indonesia and Singapore: how the dynamics of the Indonesian revolution (1945-1949) overflowed into Singapore. Singapore was a base for the Indonesian nationalists, the British, the Dutch, and Chinese traders, with each group exploiting prevailing circumstances for their own interests. Indeed, the author argues that the success of Indonesia's struggle against the Dutch was due in no small measure to the opportunities available in Singapore to advance Indonesia's strategic aims. The Singapore connection during these years was a vital link.

Educated and trained in Singapore and the United States, Yong Mun Cheong has research experience in both the Netherlands and Indonesia. He is an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, where he has taught courses on Southeast Asia. His earlier publications include H.J. van Mook and Indonesian Independence: A Study of His Role in Dutch-Indonesian Relations, 1945-48 (Nijhoff, 1982), and he was a contributor to The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. II: The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.

YONG Mun Cheong is Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, where he has taught courses on Southeast Asia.

publication year: 2004
218 pages
ISBN: 978-9971-69-276-6  Paperback  US$22.00  S$28.00

A co-publication with KITLV Press.
Our edition is available in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.