The Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) was colonized by the Dutch in the 1600s. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was the first European company to establish a trading post in the region in 1602. The Dutch gradually extended their control over the region, and by the 1800s, they had colonized most of the islands.
The Dutch East Indies remained a Dutch colony until World War II, when the Japanese occupied the region. The Japanese surrendered to the Allies in …