Dutch East Indies

Dutch East Indies

Who colonized the territory, and when?

The Dutch East India Company colonized what would become modern day Indonesia in the 1800s.

This was a first because of how a company rather than a country took over another one.

Was the colonization violent or peaceful?

The Dutch East Indies was very violent because of the many wars that occured during its time.

Many wars such as the Padri war, the Java war and the Napoleonic war occured in the Dutch East Indies.

The Dutch were dominant as they won most of their wars against Indonesia..

. What did the European colonizer hope to economically gain in taking this territory?

Trade was an important and economically significant factor of this territory.

Immense wealth due to plantations contributed significantly to the industrialization of the Netherlands.

Previous to World War II, most of the world's pepper and quinine was produced in the Dutch East Indies, as well as one third of the world's rubber.

Swapped Indian goods for Brittish settlements in Indonesia [i.e. Bengkulu]

3 key characters in the process of colonization

Johannes van den Bosch was a Govenor-General who was elected to be the representative for the VOC that was put into position to force the Dutch East Indies to pay their way. This introduced the Cultivation System which in turn, transformed a large porportoin of Java into a plantation, which then saved the Netherlands from bankruptcy.

Kusno Sosrodihardjo, also known as Sukarno, was the first president of Indonesia, also assisting in the gain of independence. He was a leader of the Partai Nasional Indonesia, a pro-independence party founded in 1927.

Vice President to Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta worked with Sukarno in the successful fight for independence. Often called Bung Hatta, Bung being a term of endearment for colleagues and friends, Hatta had an amazing education background. Fighting against the Dutch, Hatta actually studied for many years in the Netherlands.

What was life like in Java before the Europeans

A small isolated island of modern Indonesia.

Surrounded by a chain of volcanic mountains and highlands that separated Java from the rest of the world. The main communication in Java was by rivers; although, the rivers were not very long which made communication difficult. Brantas and Sala rivers provided all long distance communication. A few small road systems, which were paved and improved with tollbooths after the Dutch took power. Their road systems were not well built and not safe in bad weather, which made transportation in the winter difficult. The people used buffalo and carts to travel along these long roads. During the 16th centaury, Islam became the dominant religion in Java, dominating previous Hinduism and Buddhism. The people living in Java lived in small homes near one another and near areas were farming agriculture was possible. Population in Java was not large, and in the 1800s, there was a population of 5 million people. Politics in Java, like most small colonies, was very small. The capitals and main cities were in the valleys, and they used a simple tax system until the Dutch expanded taxes and created a Cultivation system. Farming and agriculture was the main food source in Java, but it was not stable. Often, Java would go through long periods of famine, which resulted in their small population. Java grew much rice and wheat until the Dutch introduced them to a bigger variety of food plants such as cassava and maize. Although Java was not completely stable, they were very peaceful until 1596, when a four-ship expedition, which was led by Cornelis de Houtman, contacted Java looking for nutmeg, cubeb peppers, and Maluku. After the Dutch East Indies Company took off in 1602 and led to the Dutch taking complete control in 1800s, a civil war broke out in Java and this shattered the previous peace in Java. The Dutch improved Java with new systems stabilizing their society, but took their individuality and identity along the way.

Two primary sources are:

"That for the Term of four and twenty Years, none of the Natives or Inhabitants of these countries shall be permitted to sail to or from the said lands, or to traffic on the coast and countries of Africa from the Tropic of Cancer to the Cape of Good Hope, nor in the countries of America, or the West-Indies, beginning at the fourth end of Terra Nova, by the streights of Magellan, La Maire, or any other streights and passages situated thereabouts to the straights of Anian, as well on the north sea as the south sea, nor on any islands situated on the one side or the other, or between both; nor in the western or southern countries reaching, lying, and between both the meridians, from the Cape of Good Hope, in the East, to the east end of New Guinea, in the West, inclusive, but in the Name of this United Company of these United Netherlands. And whoever shall presume without the consent of this Company, to sail or to traffic in any of the Places within the aforesaid Limits granted to this Company, he shall forfeit the ships and the goods which shall be found for sale upon the aforesaid coasts and lands; the which being actually seized by the aforesaid Company, shall be by them kept for their own Benefit and Behoof. And in case such ships or goods shall be sold either in other countries or havens they may touch at, the owners and partners must be fined for the value of those ships and goods"

Written by J Mangus (Charter of the Dutch West India Company) on June 3 1621

The first primary sources helps to explain the attitudes of the colonizers because it was written by J Mangus, charter of the Dutch East India Company. Mangus was an educated man who was responsible for the motives of the Dutch East India Company. Mangus wrote this letter in 1621, the year after the Dutch landed on Java and before the Dutch began their aggressive quest to take them over. Mangus's letter demonstrates the motives of the colonizers by revealing their hunger for power and merciless nature towards the people living in the different colonies. Mangus demonstrates their aggressive strive for power when he says, " And whoever shall presume without the consent of this Company, to sail or to traffic in any of the Places within the aforesaid Limits granted to this Company, he shall forfeit the ships and the goods which shall be found for sale upon the aforesaid coasts and lands; the which being actually seized by the aforesaid Company, shall be by them kept for their own Benefit and Behoof". This reveals the attitudes of the colonizers because it shows that their sole motives were for benefiting the company. This document illustrates their aggressive attitude for power and their willingness to punish anyone in their way by making fines and not allowing other good to be traded unless it benefits the company. The motives seen in J Mangus' letter exemplifies the attitudes of the colonizers which led to the imperialization of the Dutch East Indies.

Painted by maestro Raden Saleh portrays the arrest of Diponegoro.

The second primary source helps explain the attitudes of the colonized people of the Dutch East Indies. This painting was done by Maestro Raden Saleh, who was an educated teacher in Java and highly respected. In this painting, it shows Dinponegoro being arrested by the Dutch. Dipongero was a very admired man and was the prince of the Javanese, who fought for Java in the war against the Dutch. For this reason, he was arrested. This painting shows the negative feelings of the people of Java towards the Dutch by the body language of the people. All of the people from Java are kneeling down in a respectful manor to Dipongero. The Dutch on the other hand are standing above him, forcefully pushing him, showing no respect. This painting demonstrates how they felt the Dutch were disrespectful and forceful. The dutch did'nt care about the cultre and politics of the people living in Java, but they only cared for what benifited them as seen by their arrest of Dipongero. This demonstrates their force becasue they use their power and authority over the people in Java and take complete control withouth their consent. Raden Saleh captures the attitudes of the people in Java towards the Dutch by revealing their disrespectful and forceful nature.

Thanks,

Jane, Alyssa,

and Brian

The End

In general, do you think that colonization was a good thing for your territory?