The Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) was a Dutch colony from the 17th century until the Japanese invasion in 1942. The Dutch were the first Europeans to arrive in the region and quickly established control over the spice trade. They set up a series of forts and trading posts and gradually expanded their territory. The Dutch colonial government was based in Batavia (now Jakarta), and the colony was divided into several administrative districts.
The Dutch exercised strict control over the …