ABSTRACT
The attack on Yogyakarta marked the beginning of a period of fierce fighting that resulted in thousands of casualties. This chapter makes an attempt to understand the reason for this escalation of violence and to determine how much of the violence can be ascribed to Dutch troops. We also examine the power relations between the hardliners and the pragmatic negotiators in both the Netherlands and the Republic, as well as the role that Republican military officers appropriated once their political leaders were imprisoned. Eventually, a military standoff led the Republic and the Netherlands to return to the negotiating table. In the latter part of this chapter, we look at how much international credit the Netherlands still had by then and what the Republicans were willing to give up to secure their independence.
