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Mar 27, 1511
Portuguese Arrive in Indonesia
Portuguese arrived and were the first Europeans to arrive in Indonesia. The Portuguese conquered the trading port of Malacca in 1511 and wanted to control of the trade of spices. Indonesia was famous for its abundant spices. The portuguese started exporting the goods to many other countries. -
Hollan Arrives
The portuguese started to Trade with the natives, but never colonized. Because of this, the Dutch colonists arrive in Indonesia, and without any arguments, started colonization in Indonesia. -
Dutch conquers it all.
The Netherlands United East India Company wanted to take control of the trade in Indonesia and form a monopoly of trade against other European companies. They has conquered the West Javan city of Jayakarta, where they founded the city of Batavia. Although they failed to gain complete control of the Indonesian spice trade, they had much more success than the previous Portuguese efforts. -
Dutch takes control of Malacca
The Dutch take control over the Portuguese fortress in Malacca. Malacca was important for the Dutch as it was situated on the main trade route to the far East Asia. -
Period: to
Colonists
Dutch colonists bring the whole of Indonesia under one government as the Dutch East Indies. Dutch exports goods from Indonesia and expands its economy with all the countris in Europe. Jakarta was one of the first islands to be colonized. -
Powerful Britain
British and Dutch had declared war! The Dutch had allied with the French during the Napoleonic war. The war ended with a British victory and they captured all the Dutch possessions in Indonesia. -
Taken by force
The Dutch had introduced a new policy called cultivation system, inn which Indonesian farmers were forced to grow crops for export on 20% of their land and they were paid a very low wage by the government. -
World War 2
During the WW2, Japan alied with germany and decided to conquer most areas in Asian, including Indonesia. The Japanese invaded Indonesia and controlled the trade and government of the country. The Dutch surrendered on 1942. -
Independent
On August 17, 1945, Indonesia declared its independence from Netherlands. The Japanese help ithe ndependence leader, Sukarno, return from internal exile and declare independence. -
Independence Recognized
This declaration of independence was met with opposition from the Dutch rulers, and was followed by four years of unrest and diplomatic meetings. Finally, in 1949, the Dutch officially recognized the independence of Indonesia -
President Wahild
July - Parliament dismisses President Wahid over allegations of corruption and incompetence. Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri is sworn in as his replacement, even as Wahid refuses to leave the presidential palace. -
Human Rights Court
January - Indonesia inaugurates human rights court which is expected to test government's willingness to hold the military accountable for atrocities in East Timor after the 1999 independence vote. -
Democracy
August - Constitutional changes are seen as a step towards democracy. For the first time, voters will be able to elect a president and vice president. -
Apologies
Via its ambassador in Jakarta, the Netherlands publicly apologises for summary executions carried out by the Dutch army in the 1940s.