Beyond the Pale: Dutch Extreme Violence in the Indonesian War of Independence, 1945-1949

On August 17, 1945, two days after Japan surrendered, ending the Second World War in Asia, Indonesia declared its independence. The Netherlands refused to recognize this declaration and used force to try to control the decolonization process, leading to four years of difficult negotiations and bitter warfare. In 2005, the Dutch government declared that the war should never have been waged, but in 2016, they funded a study that revealed that the Dutch armed forces used extreme violence on a structural basis, which was concealed by the Dutch government and society for many years after the war. This contradicts the Netherlands' rose-tinted self-image of a peaceful and humanitarian nation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 592 pages
Publication date: 17 February 2022
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press

Indonesia's declaration of independence on August 17, 1945, came two days after Japan's surrender, effectively ending the Second World War in Asia. However, the Netherlands did not recognize this declaration, leading to four years of difficult negotiations and bitter warfare. In 2005, the Dutch government acknowledged that the war should never have been waged and that the Dutch armed forces had behaved "correctly" in general. However, as evidence of extreme violence mounted, this official position became increasingly difficult to maintain. In 2016, the Dutch government decided to fund a comprehensive study on the dynamics of violence during the war. The most significant findings of this research program are summarized in this book. The authors reveal that the Dutch armed forces employed extreme violence on a structural basis, which was concealed by the Dutch government and society for many years after the war. This contradicts the Netherlands' self-image as a peaceful and progressive nation, particularly in light of its colonial history.

Weight: 1234g
Dimension: 167 x 240 x 47 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789463726481