THE DUTCH EAST INDIES

Introduction

The Dutch East Indies was the Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia after World War II. It was formed from the nationalized colonies that came under the administration of the Netherlands in 1800.

Places of Interest

Prambanan

A complex of ancient Hindu temples in Central Java, Indonesia and a collection of massive Hindu temples built by the Mataram Kingdom, rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty. It is also the largest Hindu temple in Southeast Asia Its beauty and gracefulness is a magnificent spectacle and an icon of Indonesia’s cultural heritage. The temples at Prambanan were built in the 9th century and were 47 meters high. Its peak visible from far away and rises high above the ruins of the other temples. After hundreds of years of neglect, it was rediscovered by CA Lons, a Dutchman, in 1733.

Borobudur

An ancient Buddhist stupa and temple complex in central Java, Indonesia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There was no written record of who built Borobudur or why it was built. It is likely to be founded as a religious site in the 8th century at the peak of the Sailendra dynasty in central Java. It was constructed during the eighth century as a guide to the Noble Path of the Buddha. Born from silence and unfolding into the serenity of the other shore, it expresses the glory of Indonesia’s awareness and creativity, the smile of her plastic forms over the centuries as well as her travels along the edge of thoughts that cross the endless corridors of memory.


Merdeka Square

Indonesian: Medan Merdeka or Lapangan Merdeka.
It is a large square located in the center of Jakarta, Indonesia that is surrounded by important government buildings such as the Merdeka Palace, the Supreme Court and various governmental ministries. At its center stands the National Monument (Monumen Nasional). Merdeka Square measures one square kilometre in area. During the colonial Dutch East Indies era the square was called Koningsplein (King's square). Merdeka is Indonesian word for freedom or independence.


The Jakarta History Museum 

Indonesian: Museum Sejarah Jakarta which is also known as Fatahillah Museum or Batavia Museum,
It is located in the Old Town of Jakarta, Indonesia and built in 1710 as the city hall of Batavia. It opened in 1974, displaying objects from the prehistoric times of city, founding of Jayakarta in 1527, and through Dutch colonization from the 16th century onwards until Indonesia’s Independence in 1945. It is located in the building which was the former City Hall of Batavia, known in the past as Stadhuis. It was the administrative headquarters of the Dutch East India Company,and later of the Dutch Colonial Government. The current building was constructed in 1707 by the city government, replacing the former city hall built in 1627. Governor General Abraham van Riebeeck inaugurated it in 1710.

Continuity in Dutch East Indies

Political Aspect
There was little interference in local politics as the Dutch wanted to benefit from it. The status of the bupati was deliberately maintained so that the Dutch could extract profits from them. they believed that this was more effective than changing as the current political system was doing well.


Social Aspect

Religion

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With 82-88% of the population, Islam is by far the largest religion in Indonesia, making Indonesia the largest Muslim-majority state in the world. Indonesia's brand of Islam is generally quite tolerant and in larger cities headscarves and such visible manifestations of faith are exceptions rather than the rule, although the countryside and the devout state of Aceh can be considerably stricter. The other state-sanctioned religions are Protestantism (5%), Roman Catholicism (3%), Hinduism (2%) and Buddhism (1%).

Art

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Perhaps the most distinctively "Indonesian" arts are wayang kulit shadow puppetry, where intricately detailed cutouts act out scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana and other popular folk stories

Economic Aspect

Their main source of income was still agriculture. The both leaders from the past and present used natural resources as their income and till now, coffee and rice are still exported in large amounts.

Change in Dutch East Indies
Political Aspect

The Dutch brought along their culture, political views and economic motives to the Dutch East Indies and integrated their ideologies into the Indonesian way of life. The Dutch East Indies are also home to many military forts, with state-of-the art defence equipment to protect the Dutch from impending attacks. The Dutch have brought a new political era in the Dutch East Indies, where attacks from neighboring regions will not be countered by native goloks, but by cannons and guns.

The City Hall, built by the Dutch, is located at Jalan Merdeka Selatan and is built in Tuscan architecture style. Built with the purpose of conducting administrative business, this landmark depicts the radical political change in the native way of life, where the Dutch East Indies has adapted the western political court and method. 

Walking into the city and sea port of Batavia, it feels like you’re back in Netherlands, back home. The tall houses and pestilential canals are modeled after those in Amsterdam. Our fellow country-mates in the Dutch East Indies have demolished the kampongs to give way for more fashionable architectural designs such as tree-lined boulevards and extensive gardens.

Social Aspect

Firstly, there was population growth and change. After colonization, there was a high demand in labour and this led to more immigrants. Also, there were more Europeans and slavery was then introduced. In the education aspect, the Dutch set up institutes to train the Indonesians to work in colonial administrative services.

Food

Patat , now with authentic Indonesian satay sauce for the extra kick 

the Dutch rijsttafel,

Indoneisan style

Economic Aspect

There was a change in the type of systems and one major change was the encouragement of foreign trade by the Dutch. However, when Suharto took over, he blocked off all trade and eliminated foreign control.

Java War: Nineteenth Century

Java was challenged by an uprising, led by a Javanese prince. Colonial expenses increased for the Dutch to maintain its rule and this cause in a stronger economic exploitation of Java. And so, the Cultivation System was created, a state-governed system for agriculture of sugar and coffee. The Javanese were forced to cultivate export crops and of which the exports of the products were consigned to a Dutch state-owned trading firm and sold profitably abroad. Profits under this system (1830s- 1870s) were considerable and internal reforms led to the demise of this system. After the 1870s, private enterprise was promoted and it was only after the 1900s that exports gained decisive momentum. Sugar, coffee and tobacco was increasingly replaced or added on to highly profitable exports of petroleum, rubber and palm oil. Agricultural exports were cultivated both in large-scale European agricultural plantations and by indigenous smallholders. When the exploitation of oil became profitable in the late nineteenth century, petroleum earned a respectable position in the total export package.

Great Depression

There was a huge impact on export levels and the sugar industry collapsed, failing to recover. Manufacturing quantities increased to compensate lesser value of goods and as a counter-measure, import restrictions were imposed, making the colony's economy to be more self- sufficient. Long before the economy recovered, the outbreak of World War II disrupted international trade, and the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945 seriously disturbed and dislocated the economic order.