Unfinished Nation: Indonesia Before and After Suharto

by Max Lane

Unfinished Nation traces the evolution of Indonesia from its anti-colonial stirrings in the early twentieth century to the lengthy, and eventually victorious, struggle against the dictatorship of President Suharto. In clarifying the often misunderstood political changes that took place in Indonesia at the end of the twentieth century, Max Lane traces how small resistance groups inside Indonesia directed massive political transformation. He shows how the real heroes were the Indonesian workers and peasants, whose sustained mass direct action was the determining force in toppling one of the most enduring dictatorships of modern times. Taking in the role of political Islam, and with considerations on the future of this fragmented country, Unfinished Nation is an illuminating account of modern Indonesian history.

Genres: History, Politics

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Max Lane is a writer and researcher and translator, editor and consultant with 36 years of experience in and with Indonesia, as well as with Singapore and the Philippines and with the East Timorese community in Australia.

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, it could have been about 100 pages shorter to the same effect. I wish there had been more about the Sukarno period and the PKI. Far too much detail and minutiae about the 90s. Overall a good primer though.

[asih simanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebagai generasi muda yang tidak banyak paham akan sejarah bangsa sendiri, saya memutuskan untuk membaca sebanyak mungkin tentang Indonesia. Maka dengan semangat tinggi saya memulai membaca buku ini.

Buku ini tidak mengecewakan saya, dia berisikan banyak fakta-fakta dan juga analisis sejarah yang mungkin sedikit bias lantaran latar belakang penulis sendiri. Namun saya pribadi banyak belajar dari buku ini.

Memang buku ini bukanlah suatu bacaan ringan yang bisa diselesaikan dengan cepat, namun saya rasa teman-teman satu generasi dengan saya yang juga merasa dibutakan oleh sejarah yang diajarkan di sekolah dulu sebaiknya membaca buku ini. Bukan saja konten dari buku ini, tapi juga referensi menyeluruh akan banyak hal lain yang sebaiknya kita baca juga ia berikan.

Karena itu buku ini layaknya seperti percikan api, dia membangkitkan keingintahuan yang lebih. Maka pekerjaan rumah saya pun bertambah setelah membaca ini, betapa banyak yang saya tidak tahu.

[coki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku yang menarik, dan saya sepakat dengan Max Lane - Selama Revolusi belum selesai, bangsa Indonesia belum akan tuntas menjadi bangsa

[Nabila Ayu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max Lane’s Unfinished Nation is a bold, intellectually provocative account of Indonesia’s political evolution, written with unmistakable ideological clarity. Drawing heavily on his own decades of engagement with the country—as a translator, journalist, and activist—Lane offers a deeply textured narrative of Indonesian politics, particularly as they relate to popular struggle, class dynamics, and the long shadow of Suharto’s authoritarianism.

What defines the book more than anything is its perspective. Lane views Indonesia through what might be described as a resolutely leftist magnifying glass: every detail within that frame—labour movements, student uprisings, peasant resistance—is rendered with remarkable depth and moral urgency. He has a sharp eye for structures of power and a deep appreciation for grassroots political mobilisation. In these domains, the book is compelling, insightful, and sometimes indispensable.

But this same lens can also be limiting. Lane’s focus on class struggle and progressive activism often comes at the expense of a more rounded picture. Political Islam, regional dynamics, economic liberalisation, and cultural factors outside the rubric of ideological contest are given short shrift or framed reductively. It’s not so much that the analysis is wrong—it’s that it sometimes feels unaware of what it is not seeing. Indonesia is a complex, plural society, and while Lane's emphasis on resistance and inequality is vital, it can occasionally obscure more than it illuminates.

Stylistically, Unfinished Nation is assertive and confident, sometimes at the cost of balance. Lane does not attempt to conceal his sympathies, nor does he apologise for them—and that is both the book’s strength and its drawback. For readers aligned with his worldview, the clarity of vision will be invigorating; for others, the lack of engagement with alternative interpretations may prove frustrating.

Nonetheless, Unfinished Nation deserves recognition for its passion, its intellectual rigour within its chosen frame, and its commitment to centring voices often left out of mainstream political histories. While it is not a comprehensive overview of modern Indonesia, it is an important one—and for those willing to read it alongside more ideologically diverse accounts, it offers a powerful, if partial, contribution to understanding a still-evolving nation.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep dive into into the birth of Indonesia and their process to be a full Nations. Max lane takes the reader to understand the concept of Movement and role of Rakyat (People) that shaped the face of Indonesia in Pre and Post Suharto Era.

[Keira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the Suharto regime and the people’s movement against it

[Luthfian Haekal]

Max Lane dengan sangat teliti menggali patahan-patahan sejarah dengan menjelaskan rezim pengetahuan yang bekerja pada masa itu. Pada beberapa Bab, Ia dengan sangat runtut menjelaskan bagaimana Partai Rakyat Demokratik ada untuk melawan rezim pengetahuan Soeharto.

[Yudi Zulfahri]

i want read this to fulfil my research

[Kahfi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku yang sangat menggugah khususnya civitas akademika tentang bagaimana ia menjadi sebuah agen perubahan yang sesungguhnya, selain sebagai salah satu buku yang mengangkat tema kesejarahan, buku ini juga bisa dijadikan referensi dalam kajian studi sosiologi karena menyangkut perubahan masyarakat.
Dengan adanya buku ini semakin memperkuat sintesa bahwa rakyat adalah penguasa di negeri ini, tak ada kekuatan yang lebih tinggi asalkan rakyat bisa dimobilisasi terlebih dahulu. Singkatnya, buku ini sangat apik menjelaskan bagaimana kehendak rakyat mengalahkan kehendak penguasa meski dilindungi oleh aparatus represif dan ideologis - meminjam terminologi Lenin.