Bersiap is the name given by the Dutch to a violent and chaotic phase of the Indonesian National Revolution following the end of World War II. The Indonesian word bersiap means 'get ready' or 'be prepared'. The Bersiap period lasted from August 1945 to November 1947. In Indonesia, other terms aside from bersiap are commonly used, such as gedoran in Depok, ngeli in Banten and surrounding West Java, and gegeran and dombreng in Central Java.
Bodies of murdered Chinese in a mass grave following the Mergosono massacre, 1947
A soldier of an Indian armoured regiment examines a light tank used by Indonesian nationalists and captured by British forces during the fighting in Surabaya, November 1945
Destruction in the Chinese quarter of Bandung, pictured in 1947
Pemuda on Java, armed with bamboo spears and Japanese rifles, 1946
Indonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution also known as the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during postwar and postcolonial Indonesia. It took place between Indonesia's declaration of independence in 1945 and the Netherlands' transfer of sovereignty over the Dutch East Indies to the Republic of the United States of Indonesia at the end of 1949.
Image: Indonesia declaration of independence 17 August 1945
Image: Een afdeling TNI militairen marcheert door een lege straat, Bestanddeelnr 888
Image: La Salle 1940 Series 52 Sedan Burnt Out During The British Occupation of Java SE5724
Image: Militairen rennen in een kampong, waar een aantal huizen in brand staan, Bestanddeelnr 39 4 6
