The Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) was a colony of the Netherlands from 1800 to 1949. The Dutch began to colonize the region in the early 17th century, and by the mid-19th century had built a large colonial empire in Southeast Asia.
The Dutch East Indies was initially colonized for its resources, especially its spice trade. The Dutch also sought to control the region as a strategic buffer against British and French expansion in Asia.
The Dutch were not the …