ABSTRACT
The chaotic days leading up to the Indonesian declaration of independence on 17 August 1945 revealed the tensions that had existed from the outset between the pemuda and older nationalists, such as Sukarno and Hatta. After the Japanese capitulation, the latter still wanted to declare independence through the Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia (ppki), the preparatory committee for independence that had been established shortly before the Japanese surrender. The committee represented the whole country, in their view, because it was composed of prominent individuals from different regions. They thereby hoped that the revolution would proceed peacefully, without any disorder or violent intervention by the Japanese. 1
