Indonesia's Colonial Ruler: The Netherlands

Indonesia was a Dutch colony for nearly three centuries:

• 1602: Dutch East India Company (VOC) establishes foothold.
• 1800: VOC dissolved; Dutch government assumes direct control (Dutch East Indies).
• 19th–early 20th century: Conquest of outer islands (Aceh, Bali, Borneo, Papua).
• 1942–45: Japanese occupation during WWII.
• 1945: Sukarno declares independence; recognized 1949 after armed/diplomatic struggle.

Dutch legacy: legal system, infrastructure, language loanwords, plantation economy, and deep-seated anti-colonial nationalism.