This is an intensive study of Indonesian politics from the attainment of full independence in December 1949 to the proclamation of martial law in March 1957, and President Soekarno's subsequent establishment of "guided democracy". It is intended as a contribution to the ongoing discussion of democracy in the new states of Asia and Africa, of the ways in which Western political institutions are transformed when employed in non-Western social settings, and of the obstacles to be overcome if such institutions are to operate in consonance with the authority systems of new nations and with their solution of economic and administrative problems. Now brought back into print as a member of Equinox Publishing's Classic Indonesia series, The Decline of Constitutional Democracy is considered to be the definitive study of Indonesia in the 1950s and will be of great interest to the growing number of social scientists concerned with the pre-industrial nations and in particular with their efforts to use and adapt Western political institutions. This is a solid and scholarly account, but, writing on the basis of much personal observation, Dr. Feith manages to present his material in such a way that readers with no previous background in the subject will be able to follow the book almost as easily as will specialists. HERBERT FEITH (1930-2001) became familiar with Indonesia during 1951-53 and 1954-56 when he was an English Language Assistant with the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Indonesia. A citizen of Australia, he received an M.A. degree from the University of Melbourne in 1955 and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1961. He was a Research Fellow in the Department of Pacific History, Australian National University, from 1960 to 1962 and was Chair of Politics at Monash University from 1968 until 1974.

Periods of major political transition are generally so complex as to present the political analyst with one of his most difficult challenges. Indonesia between 1957 and 1959 was no exception. During these years a previously wide diffusion of political power was superseded by its increasing concentration in three major bases: President Soekarno, the Army and the Communist Party. This was also a period of crisis in the relationships of Djakarta and Java with the other major islands of the archipelago; and it was marked by ideological ferment and change, largely dominated by the views of President Soekarno. It was during these years that Guided Democracy was given its initial shape, with the stage being set for a power struggle which was to become increasingly intense. So dramatic were the political experiences of this period and so deeply etched in the minds of many Indonesians that their effect is still strongly felt and can be expected to influence the character of Indonesia's political development for many years to come. Dr. Daniel S. Lev is particularly well qualified to examine the course of Indonesian political developments between 1957 and 1959. Arriving in Indonesia towards the end of this period, he remained there for three years engaged in an intensive study of its political life. His monograph constitutes by far the most searching analysis yet to appear of this critically important period. As well as providing a guide to these earlier formative years in the nation's political development, it will, I am sure, long remain relevant for all those seriously interested in understanding contemporary Indonesian political life. - George McT. Kahin, August 10, 1966

A powerful new survey of political change in Southeast Asia, exploring why some countries have become democratic while others remain authoritarian.