Sumpah Pemuda

Tonggak Persatuan Bangsa Indonesia

Abstract

This research discusses the Youth Pledge proclaimed on October 28, 1928, which is an important milestone in the history of Indonesia's national awakening. The purpose of this research is to reveal the collective awareness of youth regarding the importance of unity in the struggle for independence, especially amidst the Dutch colonial strategy that divided the people through ethnic and territorial differences. This research uses a descriptive-qualitative approach with a literature study method to examine the social-political background, the role of youth organizations, and the influence of global nationalism on the emergence of the Youth Pledge. The findings show that the Youth Pledge not only accelerated national integration but also encouraged the use of the Indonesian language as a unifying tool. The adoption of Malay as the Indonesian language became an inclusive strategy in shaping the collective identity of the nation. This event also encouraged the birth of national organizations oriented towards common interests, rather than sectoral or regional ones. Thus, the Youth Pledge not only became a historical moment but also an ideological legacy that forms the foundation of the Indonesian state. This research recommends and emphasizes that the spirit of unity and nationalism contained in the Youth Pledge should continue to be lived by the younger generation to maintain the integrity and progress of the nation in the future.