The Development of Western Colonialism and Imperialism in Indonesia
The Development of Colonialism and Western Imperialism in Indonesia
The Development of Western Colonialism and Imperialism in Indonesia - The development of Western colonialism and imperialism in Indonesia that occurred from the 16th century to the 20th century is inseparable from various events that have occurred in Europe. Important events that have occurred in Europe have led to the arrival of Europeans to Indonesia to then implement colonialism in Indonesia.
Colonialism in Indonesia is slowly turning into the practice of imperialism in Indonesia. Even so, it does not mean that the practice of colonialism in Indonesia will disappear when the practice of imperialism in Indonesia is implemented. Instead, the practice becomes an interrelated application so that it is understood with the practice of colonialism and imperialism in Indonesia.
Below, we will briefly describe the development process of Western colonialism and imperialism in Indonesia, which began with the causes of the arrival of Europeans to Indonesia as a result of the political situation in Europe.
Western Colonialism and Imperialism in Indonesia Background
The Middle Ages in Europe have caused major changes in various aspects of life after previously being preceded by the fall of the Western Roman empire in 476. The fall of Western Rome made Europeans start a new life where historians call it the Middle Ages period. estimated to last from the early 6th century to the 15th century.
The Middle Ages or sometimes also called the Dark Ages is a time when the church's power is getting stronger in various aspects of human life which tends to make life stagnant. In this period there was not much innovation in various fields, especially in the intellectual field.
During the Medieval period in Europe, the Church through her doctrines and in the name of God suppressed the development of human thought so as not to conflict with the teachings of the church. This is done by the church to be able to maintain its dominance in various fields of life, especially in the political and economic fields.
The Crusades in the Western point of view that occurred around 1095-1492 and had drained a lot of money, turned out to end with losses for the Europeans, especially losses in the economic field. The loss was especially after the control of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire. After being successfully controlled by the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople, which was one of the busiest and largest port cities, caused the basic needs of Europeans, especially spices, to be no longer met.
The inability to produce the goods needed and the control of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 which was the pulse for European trade had made Europeans isolated from world trade. This situation brought the Europeans into a very strong economic pressure and became the main problem for Europeans to immediately solve the problem of the increasingly difficult trade activities with the East after-1453.
Because of this problem, the Europeans finally succeeded in breaking the old order that had existed during the Middle Ages by echoing the Renaissance in various parts of the country. The Renaissance itself seems to have started to have a positive impact on Europeans after the discovery of various innovations, especially in the fields of science and technology, such as cartography, shipping technology and also developments in the field of weapons.
After successfully echoing the Renaissance, as a result of discoveries in the field of science and technology, Europeans began to be able to end the problems that had enveloped their lives so far, namely to fulfill one of their main needs, namely spices.
Before the arrival of Europeans to Indonesia, Europeans actually knew that spices came from the East that they had never found and visited. However, the Europeans only knew of the existence of the East based on information obtained from the traders they interacted with when Constantinople was not yet occupied by the Ottoman Empire in 1453.
With the intention, courage, innovation and information they got, the Europeans began to venture to explore the oceans. One thing that had never been done before with the aim of searching the East in particular was to find out where India was. India is a place that is always mentioned by traders in Constantinople as a place to produce spices.
After doing several times of exploration and adventure, the Europeans have managed to find a path to India. When the Europeans arrived in India, they found a lot of spices, but India itself was not the producer of the spices they needed.
With the fact that India is not a producer of spices, the Europeans were not satisfied with the discovery of India by them. This is due to the fact that the price of spices they get in India is still high, although not as high as the prices they used to get in Constantinople. Europeans then began to look for and trace the location of the spice producers from sharing information they got from traders who stopped by for both buying and selling activities in India.
From this information, the Europeans could find a producer of spices, namely the Archipelago (Indonesia). With the discovery of a route to the Archipelago, in turn, has indirectly opened the gate for the arrival of Europeans to Indonesia to later in its development apply the practice of Colonialism and Imperialism in Indonesia.
The Development of Western Colonialism and Imperialism in Indonesia
The Development of Western Colonialism and Imperialism in Indonesia: The Entry of the Portuguese Trade Fleet
Western colonialism and imperialism in Indonesia carried out by the Portuguese began when the Portuguese began to enter the Archipelago under the leadership of Alfonso d'Albuquerque. After conquering Malacca in 1511, the Portuguese controlled the spice trade from Asia to Europe. In addition, in 1522, the Portuguese signed a trade agreement, specifically pepper with the Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran.
This alliance between the Portuguese and the Sunda Kingdom, turned out to be a threat to the Islamic kingdoms, especially the Demak Kingdom. Finally, the Kingdom of Demak attacked the Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran in 1526 and 1527 mainly to seize the Sunda Kelapa Harbor. The Demak expedition succeeded in controlling Sunda Kelapa, led by Fatahillah. Due to the resistance and increasing pressure, the Portuguese operated more in the Maluku area.
In 1512, the Portuguese arrived in Ternate. In Ternate, the Portuguese established friendship and alliance with the Islamic Kingdom of Ternate. The Portuguese established trade relations, especially for spices in the form of cloves and nutmeg. In fact, the Kingdom of Ternate allowed the Portuguese to build a fort, namely Fort Sao Paulo.
When the Portuguese arrived in Ternate, the Kingdom of Ternate was at war with the Kingdom of Tidore. Therefore, the arrival of the Portuguese in Ternate was well received by the local king. This was done with the aim that the Portuguese could be used as allies in the face of the Tidore Kingdom. The Kingdom of Tidore then obtained assistance from Spain. Therefore, in addition to the war that occurred between the kingdoms (Ternate–Tidore), there was also a war between the Portuguese and the Spanish in the Moluccas.
To resolve the dispute between the Portuguese and the Spanish, the Pope intervened and in 1529 the Treaty of Saragosa was made which contains;
(1) The earth is divided into two powers, namely the dominion of the Spanish and the Portuguese;
(2) The Spanish territory stretched from Mexico to the west to the Philippine Islands. Meanwhile, the territory of the Portuguese stretched from Brazil to the east to the Maluku Islands.
Based on the agreement, the Spanish had to leave the Moluccas and return to the Philippines.
The peak of the conflict between the Kingdom of Ternate and the Portuguese ended with the expulsion of the Portuguese from Ternate in 1575. The expulsion of the Portuguese was carried out by Sultan Baabullah together with his son, Sultan Said. After being defeated and removed by the Dutch from Ambon in 1599, the Portuguese then occupied Timor, Solor, and Flores. In 1859 through the Lisbon Treaty, the Portuguese handed over the areas they controlled in the Dutch East Indies except Timor to the Dutch.
The era of Portuguese rule in Indonesia has left its mark on Indonesian culture. One of the goals of the Portuguese exploration was to try to spread Catholic teachings in the areas under their control. The person who pioneered the spread of Catholicism in Indonesia was named Fransiscus Xaverius. Many Ambonese eventually embraced Catholicism. Other influences, such as Portuguese, also enriched Indonesian, such as churches, butter and so on.
The Development of Western Colonialism and Imperialism in Indonesia: The Entry of the Spaniards
The year 1521 was the year when the Spanish began to land in the Maluku Islands. The arrival of Europeans to Indonesia is of course to implement the practice of Western colonialism and imperialism in Indonesia, which in particular is the practice of Western colonialism and imperialism in the Maluku Islands. Due to the territory of Ternate has been controlled by the Portuguese, the Spanish prefer Tidore as a place to anchor. The Spaniards who came were well received by the sultan of Tidore who at that time was in need of assistance to face the Kingdom of Ternate, which was assisted by Portuguese forces.
The arrival of the Spanish to the Portuguese could pose a threat as competitors in the spice trade. Therefore, there was an unhealthy competition between the two which led to war. On the other hand, there was also a conflict between the Kingdom of Ternate and the Kingdom of Tidore. So that the relationship between the two camps became increasingly heated due to the arrival of the Portuguese and the Spanish.
The battle between the two camps was unavoidable, the Spanish along with the Tidore Kingdom attacked the Portuguese who were also allied with the Ternate Kingdom. The battle between the two camps ended after the agreement of the Treaty of Saragosa in Spain in 1529. Henceforth, the Spaniards opened their colonies in the Philippines with Manilla as the center.
The Development of Western Colonialism and Imperialism in Indonesia: The Entry of the Dutch into the Indonesian Archipelago
Western colonialism and imperialism carried out by the Dutch began when the end of the 16th century the Dutch began to explore the oceans following in the footsteps of their predecessor European countries. The exploration carried out by the Dutch was encouraged by the closure of the Port of Lisbon by the Spanish to Dutch ships. Previously the Dutch were only middlemen who bought spices in Lisbon for resale.
Previously the Netherlands at that time was still a Spanish colony, which resulted in the Dutch being unable to buy spices in Portugal. Thus, this situation has caused the Dutch to try to come to the Spice Islands themselves, namely Indonesia.
In April 1595, the Dutch embarked on a voyage to the Archipelago with four ships. The departure of this Dutch expedition was guided by the book Itinerario by Jan Huygen van Linschosten. In their voyage to the East World, the Dutch took a route through the West Coast of Africa – Cape of Good Hope – Indian Ocean – Sunda Strait – Banten.
The Dutch arrived at the Port of Banten in 1596 under the leadership of Cornelis de Houtman, with the aim of obtaining spices. At that time Banten was under the reign of Mangkubumi Jayanegara, who ruled on behalf of the young Sultan Abdulmafakhir Mahmud Abdulkadir.
The arrival of the Dutch at the Port of Banten was initially welcomed because it provided trade advantages for the Kingdom of Banten. However, some time later the Dutch merchants began to show unpleasant attitudes such as putting pressure on getting spices in larger quantities and at lower prices.
The Dutch also once hijacked two ships from Java that were full of pepper and transferred all their contents to Dutch ships. In the eyes of the Kingdom of Banten, the Dutch were rude and arrogant. Together with the Portuguese, Banten also expelled the Dutch. After being expelled in Banten, the Dutch then sailed to Bali and returned to the Netherlands with only a few spices.
On the second Dutch voyage led by Jacob van Neck who arrived in Banten in 1598. This group managed to get spices, especially pepper from Banten, then the Dutch continued their journey to Tuban and Maluku. In the Maluku Islands, the Dutch managed to bring spices to bring back to their country. With this success, the Indonesian Archipelago was later visited by many Dutch people.
Thus a brief description of the development of Western colonialism and imperialism in Indonesia. Where difficulties due to the fulfillment of the need for spices in Europe have led to the arrival of Europeans to Indonesia and the practice of Western colonialism and imperialism in Indonesia.