-
Period: to
1600-present
-
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established by the Dutch and became a dominant European power in Indonesia. They took monopoly control over trade with the Moluccas (Maluku), known as the Spice Islands, because they were rich in spices such as pepper, nutmeg, cloves, mace, ginger and cinnamon. -
Dutch Invasion of Banda Islands
The Dutch invaded and occupied the Banda Islands, part of the Moluccas, marking the first agressive act carried out by the Dutch against Indonesians. -
The VOC conquered Jayakarta
The West Javan city of Jayakarta was conquered by the VOC and established as Batavia, now present day Jakarta, as the VOC headquarters of their expanding territories. -
First Javanese War of Succession
Lasting from 1704 to 1707, Javanese rebels sought freedom from Dutch rule in the First Javanese War of Succession. Surapati, a runaway Balinese slave, put together a group of native rebels against Dutch traders. He allied himself with King Amangkurat III of Mataram, the key central Javanese kingdom. However, Amangkurat was defeated in battle by his uncle, Pakubuwono I, and the Dutch East India Company, and exiled to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) while Surapati was executed by the Dutch. -
Second Javanese War of Succession
In the Second Javanese War of Succession, the Dutch East India company was trying to ensure a friendly government in Java against leaders hostile to the company during 1719 to 1723. They supported whoever they thought was the winning side, and was determined to eliminate rivals hostile to the Dutch East India Company. In the end, the VOC expanded its control of Java. -
Third Javanese War of Succession
The Dutch helped their puppet ruler, Pakubuwono III, crush his rivals for the throne of Mataram in the Third Javanese War of Succession from 1749-1757. In 1747, the Dutch faced 13,000 rebels, and suffered a serious setback in the 1751 battle at the Bogowonto River. In the end, the Gianti Agreement was drawn up in 1755, the company agreeing to divide up Mataram, having Pakubuwono continue to rule in the east from his capital, Surakarta, and Mangkubumi in the west from Jogjakarta. -
The Dutch East Indies was established
The nationalized Dutch East Indies was established under the Dutch Empire's rule, after the bankrupt VOC was formally dissolved. This colony, which is present day Indonesia, was one of the most valuable European colonies under Dutch rule. -
The Java War (Diponegoro War)
The Java War, also known as the Diponegoro War, originally started out as a rebellion led by Prince Diponegoro, mostly because of the disputed claim of the throne of Yogyakarta. Successful in the beginning, Diponegoro's troops began to dwindle as the war progessed. The rebellion ended in 1830 when he was tricked into capture by the Dutch, thinking he was there for discussion on a possible cease-fire. -
1926 revolt of the Communist Party of Indonesia
The Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) tried to overthrow Dutch rule through a revolution in that year. Many were captured, imprisoned, exiled or died in captivity. Members of other political groups were also targeted, under the pretense that the Dutch were trying to crush the Communist Party rebellion. The revolution ended with the destruction of the PKI by the Dutch. -
The National Party of Indonesia (PNI) was established
The National Party of Indonesia (PNI) was established in Bandung on July 4, 1927 under the leadership of Sukarno. They believed they could free Indonesia from Dutch rule through large-scale popular actions without using violence. From 1927 and onwards, this political party was dissolved and revived multiple times. -
Dutch Military Surrenders Indonesian Islands to Japan
After the British had been defeated in Singapore, the Japanese proceeded to invade Indonesia. Since the Dutch were unable to defend the islands, the military surrendered them to Japan on March 8, 1942. All of the Dutch were imprisoned and a number of Indonesian nationalist's were chosen to create a new Indonesian government. One of the politicians was Sukarno, one of India's first known presidents. -
Japanese Forces Surrender
Japanese forces surrendered (ending World War II; declaring victory in Europe) and a new Indonesian government was established. The nationalists had been preparing for this day and soon after, Sukarno became the first president and "declared" their country as Independent; named as Indonesia. -
Indonesian and Dutch Leadership Negotiation Leads to Guerilla War
On 1945, Australian, British and Indian Troops went to the main Indonesian islands to act as peacekeepers. However, negotiations between Indonesian and Dutch leadership went badly from 1947-48. As a result, the Dutch attempted to arrest the nationalists there and in response, the nationalists initiated a Guerilla War against the Dutch. The Australian started supporting Indonesia’s inpendence from the Dutch. -
Dutch Government Grants Independence to Indonesia
In 1949, many nations supported and argued for Indonesia to become an independent nation. To this, the Dutch government realized that if they were to disagree, then they could become involved in a long and complicated war against not only Indonesian nationalists, but also but also receive disapproval by other nations on their colonial policy. Dutch government grants this Independence to Indonesia. -
West Irian is Given to Indonesia
West Irian was still in Dutch control even after Indonesia was granted its independence, so in 1963, the Dutch government suggested to hand it over to the Unite Nations. However, Sukarno thought that it should be handed over to Indonesia. None of the nations disapproved, thus the West Irian colony was was given to the Indonesian government. -
Sukarno Steps Down and Soeharto Becomes New President
In 1965, there was an uprising against Sukarno led by communist groups. Both the people and military started to believe that Sukarno was leading Indonesia to more conflict. The uprising was destroyed by the military, but the military itself also suffered the losses of many officers. This uprising forced Sukarto to step down as presdent and Soeharto, the general in charge of destroying the "Sukarno uprising" became the new president of the Indonesian republic. -
Pancasila Becomes Official Indonesian Ideology
The five principles popular during the early period of independence was revived by Soeharto; known as the Pancasila. By 1983, the Pancasila was adopted by the Indonesian Parliament as the official ideology for the state. Within the Pancasila was a strong emphasis on nationalism. If anyone were distrust this ideology, they could be immediately sent to jail. However, in 1984, protests against the Pancasila broke out and some became overly violent. 28 people died in the dock areas of Jakarta. -
Limited Independence is Granted to East Timor
Indonesia was affected greatly by the economic crisis. This led to more difficulties when they needed to expend money on the military forces maintaining East Timor. The Indonesian government reconsidered their method of governing East Timor by letting go of the military rule and granting East Timor limited independence
