“The proclamation of an independent republic was not quite so simple though and sparked a series of clashes between the Indonesians and the colonizing forces of both the British and Dutch. The British were less compelled to fight back, eventually withdrawing as the Dutch stepped in to try and retake their former possession. After repeated failures, unsuccessful “police actions”, and growing condemnation from the far West, such as the U.S., at long last, in the final weeks of 1949, the Dutch recognized Indonesian autonomy and withdrew from the islands. “
