A simple
trade monopoly: this is simply the terms of which the relationship between the
Indonesians and the Dutch existed. Yet, much more was produced from this
affiliation. The conquest of Indonesia was started by trade, occurred because
of trade, influenced more trade, and resulted in the flourishing of trade in
Indonesia. Simply put, trade was emphasized and the key highlight in the
Indonesian conquest.
It began with the Dutch forming a treaty with the Portuguese
explorers, resulting with the western half of the islands becoming under the
control of the Dutch. (5)
Then, a sudden trade power emerged in the Dutch East India Trading Company, and
ensnared the islands within its grasp; this is where the conquest began. The
Dutch East India Trading Company, abbreviated as ‘VOC,’ searched for Indonesian
spices to sell on the market for extremely high prices. (6)
This led to the grant of a monopoly on trade in the Indonesian section of Java
in 1602, and the VOC conquering the Indonesian city of Jayakarta, and founding
a city called Batavia in 1619. (7)
Next, bits and pieces of Western culture funneled into Indonesia and were
supported by Dutch influence, arriving in the form of economic exploitation for
most Indonesians. (8)
However, the VOC went bankrupt in 1800, and the Dutch state
assumed full control over VOC assets and operations, including the control over
Indonesia. As a result of this shift in power, the Java War occurred, and new
Dutch systems tied peasants to their lands and forced them to work sixty
additional days in governmental plantations each year. (9) When
Dutch influence and power expanded to its maximum, numerous territories were
added that later became part of modern-day Indonesia. These lands were also
heavily involved in trade. (10)
Trade played a huge part in the conquest of Indonesia; due to
the occurrences of increasingly rapid industrialization, the Dutch were able to
obtain more effective and powerful weapons, and quicker means of
transportation, leading to the quick shift of power leaning toward the side of
the Dutch. (11)
Indonesia is currently a country consisting of more than 17,000 islands, and is
second in the world for biodiversity; but to think that none of this would
exist without the simple concept of trade would be a difficult task indeed.
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