1911

Abendanon publishes R. A. Kartini's letters with the title "Door Duisternis Tot Licht".

Newspaper al-Munir begins publishing in Padang.

Bubonic plague outbreak on Java.

1912

Kyai Haji Ahmad Dahlan founds Muhammadiyah in Yogya.

Indische Partij founded by Setiabudi (Douwes Dekker), Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo and Ki Hajar Dewantoro. All three are exiled within a year.

Portuguese suppress revolt in East Timor.

1913

Gov-Gen Idenburg recognizes Sarekat Islam as legal organization.

Indische Partij banned; leaders go to Netherlands.

1914

Pasundan organization founded for Sundanese in western Java.

May 9 Sneevliet founds Indische Sociaal-Democratische Vereeniging, would become PKI (Indonesian Communist Party).

War in Europe: Dutch government considers local militia for Indonesia.

Great Colonial Exhibition in Semarang, attended by Pakubuwono X of Surakarta and entourage.

Nias comes under complete Dutch control.

1915

Soedirman born.

1916

December States-General in the Netherlands passes bill to create Volksraad for the Netherlands Indies.

Gov-Gen J.P. Count van Limburg Stirum until 1921.

Young Sukarno attends school in Surabaya, lives with Tjokroaminoto.

Sarekat Islam holds first convention in Bandung; some members and traditional Javanese are unhappy with modernism.

Mangkunegara VII takes rule of his house in Surakarta.

For more background on Sarekat Islam, the Muhammadiyah, and Nahdlatul Ulama, see the Notes on Islam in modern Indonesia.

1917

Leftists from Semarang gather in Sarekat Islam under Semaun; Tjokroaminoto does not oppose them.

Netherlands considers conscripting Indonesians for military service; leftists in Sarekat Islam oppose this.

Aisyiyah, women's auxiliary to Muhammadiyah, is founded.

1918

Gov.-Gen. van Limburg Stirum appoints Tjokroaminoto to Volksraad.

ISDV starts to organize soviets in Surabaya.

"Sarekat Islam B", secret revolutionary branch, starts organizing, includes Musso, maybe Tjokroaminoto

Sarekat Sumatra founded.

Jong Minahasa organization founded.

Nederlands-Indië government starts to suppress ISDV soviets, exiles Sneevliet, drives Dutch members from communist movement.

The "November Promise": Dutch government says that Indonesia will have self-government in the undetermined future.

1919

May ISDV changes name to Partai Komunis di India, publishes works by Lenin.

May-June shooting in Garut, assassination of Dutch official at Tolitoli, Sulawesi.

Dutch use shootings as excuse to suppress Sarekat Islam Section B.

Haji Misbach preaches "Islamic Communism" in Surakarta

December Sarekat Islam claims 2 million members; holds congress in Yogya.

KLM opens long-distance air service from Amsterdam to Batavia.

1920

Sarekat Ambon founded.

Conflict between PKI and Sarekat Islam grows. PKI joins Communist International.

1921

Tjokroaminoto is arrested and jailed.

Fock is Gov.-Gen. of Nederlands-Indië until 1926.

Timorsch Verbond founded.

October Sarekat Islam congress forbids SI members to belong to other parties, including PKI.

Many Sarekat Islam branches split into "Red" (SI-Merah) factions after Semaun and "White" (SI-Putih) factions after Tjokroaminoto.

Semaun leaves for Soviet Union.

Tan Malaka tries to heal split.

PKI denounces Tjokroaminoto.

Young Sukarno begins studies at Technische Hoogeschool in Bandung.

Soeharto born.

Hamengkubuwono VIII becomes Sultan of Yogya.

Street scene in Batavia (Jakarta), 1920s.

1922

Ki Hadjar Dewantoro founds Taman Siswa in Yogya, independent school with no gov support to promote Javanese arts as well as modern education (anti-modernist); invents term "guided democracy".

Indische Vereeniging in the Netherlands changes name to Perhimpunan Indonesia. Mohammed Hatta and Sutan Sjahrir are members, Tan Malaka and Semaun speak to meetings.

Marah Roesli publishes "Sitti Noerbaja", first Indonesian novel

Strikes continue.

1923

Successful PKI-led railroad strike; many unions become PKI-dominated.

Tjokroaminoto sets up Partai Sarekat Islam; "Red" SI branches become Sarekat Rakyat.

Semaun exiled.

Persatuan Islam, hardline modernist group, founded in Bandung.

Pasteur Institute moves from Batavia to Bandung.

Prominent Communists in this period included:

Sneevliet, a Dutchman, who originally introduced Communism to Indonesia.

Tan Malaka who was not an unquestioning supporter of Moscow and Stalin, but was later executed by ABRI in 1949.

Musso led the PKI during the 1920s, and again during the 1940s independence struggle. He was a strong supporter of Stalin and the Communist International in Moscow. He was executed by ABRI in the wake of the Madiun incident of 1948.

Semaun

Darsono who later renounced Communism.

1924

Perhimpunan Mahasiswa Indonesia or Indonesian Students Association is founded by Mohammed Hatta and others.

PKI changes to Partai Komunis Indonesia, decides to turn to revolt. Musso joins PKI.

"Sarekat Hijau" organized by Dutch, members are pro-Dutch local officials, criminals, police, etc.

First airmail service from Batavia to Amsterdam.

In 1924, the Islamic caliphate ended, an event which caused much debate and concern in Islamic communities.

Also around this time, the economy in Europe was very poor.

1925

New constitution: Council of the Indies becomes advisory, Volksrad gets limited legislative powers, Governor-General and bureaucracy are unaffected.

PKI-led strikes fail, Tan Malaka is in Singapore.

Sukarno founds pro-independence General Studies Club in Bandung, advocates unity.

The Governor's Palace at Buitenzorg (now Bogor), flying a Dutch flag. This was used by the Netherlands Indies government from 1870 until 1942. (Years later, Sukarno used it as a Presidential retreat.)

1926

Dutch arrest more PKI members; Musso goes to Singapore. PKI receives instructions from Moscow to start a revolt, then cancels the instructions. Musso keeps the second instructions (the instructions not to revolt) secret.

November 12 PKI revolts in Banten, Batavia, Bandung, Padang. PKI declares a republic. Revolt is crushed by the Dutch, who make over 13,000 arrests. Tan Malaka opposes revolt.

Sukarno gets engineering degree in Bandung.

De Graeff is Gov.-Gen. until 1931.

The 1926 unrest was the first of three ill-advised, unsuccessful revolts by the PKI. The second was in 1948 at Madiun, the third was in 1965.

1927

February Hatta and others attend anti-colonial convention in Brussels along with many nationalists from Asia and Africa.

July 4 Sukarno founds Perserikatan Nasional Indonesia (PNI).

September Hatta, Ali Sastroamidjojo and others in Perhimpunan Mahasiswa Indonesia are arrested.

Dutch build Boven Digul prison camp in Irian Jaya to house political prisoners.

The Dutch used the communist unrest as an excuse to arrest many Indonesian leaders who were not communists.

1928

PNI changes name to Partai Nasional Indonesia, adopts merah-putih flag, Bahasa Indonesia as national language, "Indonesia Raya" as national anthem.

March Hatta and supporters are acquitted; Hatta's speeches are convincingly anti-Dutch.

Youth Congress in Batavia adopts "sumpah pemuda": one nation, one language; Muhammad Yamin writes poems "Indonesia tumpah darahku".

KNILM is founded as official airline of the Netherlands Indies.

Perti (Persatuan Tarbiyah Islamiyah) is founded at Bukittingi as an educational organization for traditionalist Minangkabau Muslims.

Sukarno in these days was a strong nationalist. He said that "neither an airplane from Moscow nor a caliph in Istanbul" could help Indonesia win independence--they had to do it themselves.

1929

August Netherlands Indies government warns PNI members to stop their activities.

December 29 Sukarno and followers are arrested.

1930

Sukarno sent to Bandung for trial. He gives rousing speeches in court, but is convicted and sentenced to four years in prison. PNI is declared dissolved by the Netherlands Indies government.

Muhammad H Thamrin sets up nationalist faction in Volksraad; wants autonomy.

Pangeran Surjodiningrat founds Pakempalan Kawula Ngayogyakarta as an organization for the peasantry of Yogya, which becomes very popular.

Japanese found Borneo Oil Company.

Hok Liong, Chinese of Malang, invents clove cigarette or "kretek", later founds Bentoel company.

Jamiyatul Washliyah is founded with strong Karo Batak participation.

1931

April PNI is dissolved and replaced by Partindo. Some PNI members, including Hatta, are disappointed.

December Sjahrir founds Pendidikan Nasional Indonesia: "PNI-Baru".

Sukarno released by de Graaff.

De Jonge is Gov.-Gen. until 1936.

Some important Dutch figures in Batavia were actually sympathetic to Sukarno during this period, including Van Mook, who wrote an anonymous newspaper article criticizing the treatment of Sukarno by the government. (Van Mook later served as Lieutenant-Governor of the Indies from 1945-48, during the independence struggle.)

1932

Mohammed Natsir, age 24, takes charge of new Persatuan Islam schools, writes that Islam must be the basis of the new Indonesia.

Dutch require independent schools to get permission from the government to operate; factions unite against it.

1933

Dutch suppress independent schools and political leaders in Minangkabau.

August Sukarno, Hatta, Sjahrir are arrested. Sukarno is exiled to Ende on Flores without a trial.

1934

Dutch begin protectionist drive to keep out less expensive Japanese products in favor of more expensive Dutch ones.

Dutch pressure PKN to renounce overt political activity.

Hatta and Sjahrir are arrested, sent to Boven Digul.

Nahdlatul Ulama youth wing, Ansor, is founded.

Cokroaminoto passes away.

Around this time, there was a political crackdown on fascists and communists in the Netherlands, along with the attacks on nationalists in Indonesia.

1935

Budi Utomo and Persatuan Bangsa Indonesia combine to form Partai Indonesia Raya or Parindra. Membership includes Thamrin; includes some pro-Japan members. Calls for independence through cooperation with Dutch.

Al-Ittihadiah (modernist Islamic association) founded at Medan.

Nahdlatul Wathan, an organization for Islamic education, is founded on Lombok.

1936

Hatta and Sjahrir are moved to Banda.

Volksraad votes to support petition for autonomy for Indonesia within the constitution of the Netherlands.

Dutch pilots of KNILM, the colonial airline, in the late 1930s. Indonesians had almost no opportunity to rise to jobs at this level.

1937

Antara news service founded.

September MIAI founded: Majlis Islam A'laa Indonesia, umbrella group for cooperation between Muhammadiyah, NU, Persatuan Islam, and other groups.

1938

Sukarno, still under Dutch custody, is moved to Bengkulu.

First outsiders reach Baliem Valley on Irian Jaya.

Moscow tells PKI to stop anti-Dutch activities.

Persatuan Arab Indonesia formed from existing Arab Muslim organizations.

November 16 Netherlands government rejects the 1936 autonomy petition for Indonesia.

1939

Gabungan Politik Indonesia or GAPI is formed, an umbrella group of nationalist organizations. Large congress is held in Batavia, presents demand for full parliament.

Pakubuwono X of Surakarta passes away, Pakubuwono XI is new Susuhunan.

Hamengkubuwono IX becomes Sultan of Yogya.

Japanese occupy Spratly Islands.

May PUSA (Persatuan Ulama Seluruh Aceh) is founded by Muhammad Da'ud Beureu'eh to coordinate anti-Dutch activities in Aceh.

Pakubuwono X was a huge man, very much loved by the people of Surakarta, who predicted that after his rule there would be no more like him.

1940

May Netherlands falls to Germany, Dutch government flees to London.