Bersiap

In Indonesian historiography, the term Bersiap ("Get ready" or "Be prepared" in English) refers to the violent and chaotic beginning of the Indonesian National Revolution following the end of World War II in Asia. In Indonesia, the term Berdaulat ("Sovereign") is also used for this transitional period. It began after Sukarno's proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945 and culminated during the power vacuum between the withdrawal of Japanese occupational forces and the gradual buildup of a British military presence, before the official handover to a Dutch military presence in March 1946.

Thousands of European and Indo-European people were killed by native Indonesians. Many non-Europeans accused of anti-revolutionary or pro-Dutch sentiment also fell victim to violence, such as Chinese civilians, Japanese and Korean prisoners of war, as well as native Indonesians such as the Moluccans, Ambonese, Minahasans and Timorese along with Javanese people, Bantenese people, Malays, Minangkabau people and Batak people of higher social and economic standing. The violence led to forced repatriation and the proliferation of a worldwide Indo-European diaspora.