The Start of the Dutch in Indonesia
Dutch East India Company: The Dutch East India company started in 1602 in the Dutch Republic (the present-day Netherlands) as a trading company, with its headquarters in Amsterdam. The original purpose of the company was to protect the trade going on in the Indian Ocean, as well as to assist in obtaining Dutch independence from Spain. The company was a successful tool for the Dutch commercial empire in the East Indies throughout the 17th century, until its dissolution in 1799 because of corruption and debt.
Because the company was the first to officially sell stocks, this contributed a lot to its wealth. People purchasing VOC stocks pushed the country into having a worth of around 78 million Dutch guilders (78 million guilders = $7.9 trillion or 7.0 trillion Euro). These stocks peaked during the 'tulip mania' - the large demand for tulip bulbs.
Map of The Dutch East Indies
WWII
During the years 1942-1945 the East Indies (except New Guinea) was under Japanese rule. Japan desired to possess the colony for its resources, mainly oil. Because the Netherlands was occupied by Germany during this time, they had little defense to defend their territory against the Imperial Japanese Army. During the time of Japanese control, the Dutch colonial army was sent to detention camps and Indonesian soldiers were released. Thousands of Indonesians were forced into labor by the Japanese, and some were forced out of their homes. The Indonesian people suffered immensely during Japanese rule, and scarcity of food was one of the major problems - especially on the island of Java where many of the forced Indonesian workers were stationed working on construction projects. Despite the abuse they suffered, many young Indonesians were trained and armed by the Japanese Army. This is because the Japanese were in favor of self- government among the Indonesian nationalists, and did not want the Dutch to regain control. In August of 1945, Japan surrendered, and Indonesia was officially declared independent.
Indonesian National Revolution
Although Indonesia officially declared its Independence in 1945, the Dutch did not accept this decision. This resulted in a four-year struggle until 1949, in which the Dutch attempted to regain control of Indonesia and Indonesia fought for its independence. Starting in 1945, more than 120,000 young Dutch men were sent to the East Indies to prevent the country from gaining independence. The Dutch were sent to engage in what they called 'police actions', which were really abuse and forms of slavery. Although the Dutch believed that they were just engaging in police actions, what really was going on was a war of the Dutch against the Indonesians. Many of the Dutch soldiers were disappointed in their own actions, but felt afraid of being cast out and obligated to act with force as all the other soldiers were doing.
Photographic Evidence
Many photos that were taken of the Indonesian War for Independence were purposely withdrawn from release because they showed proof of war crimes. Depending on which images are shown, the Dutch troops can either appear to be helping the people of Indonesia, or treating them with cruelty. The military information service blocked as many pictures as they could from being circulated, but some were still released.
Desired
Undesired
References
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dutch-East-India-Company
https://dutchreview.com/culture/history/how-rich-was-the-dutch-east-india-company/
https://www.indonesia-investments.com/culture/politics/colonial-history/item178?
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Indonesian_War_of_Independence
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/53wqxz/unreleased-indonesian-national-revolution-pics
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dutch-East-India-Company
https://dutchreview.com/culture/history/how-rich-was-the-dutch-east-india-company/
https://www.indonesia-investments.com/culture/politics/colonial-history/item178?
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Indonesian_War_of_Independence
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/53wqxz/unreleased-indonesian-national-revolution-pics
-- Ava