The creation of a unified Indonesian state could not be considered without the impact of Dutch “conquest” on the Indonesian archipelago. It was apparent that before Dutch interference, the archipelago was never united, just a series of independent islands/nations that were generally independent kingdoms.(1) Though Dutch rule of Indonesia has often been seen as a foreign oppression of the native Indonesians, its impact could be seen as more similar to unification rather than a conquest of Indonesia.
When the Dutch first arrived in the 16th century, its hold on pieces of Indonesia was tenuous and very restricted. Not only did they have to expel Portuguese settlements, but they also had to face strong native resistance, even in their central station, Java.(2) In that way, the Dutch weren’t really conquerors of the land, but really just one established power among many.
Therefore, it is evident that in reality, the Dutch in its beginnings in Indonesia would be more comparable to a competing native power than a foreign conqueror. Only in the late 18th-early 19th centuries, was the Dutch able to fully expand its authority from Java to include almost all of the outlying islands that consist the Indonesian borders of today.(3) If the Dutch was regarded in this perspective, this imperialistic growth could be represented as a unification of several states in a region, not a foreign invasion.
This was proven after the independence of Indonesia, when despite Dutch loss of control, its established territory remained as one, not separate kingdoms or even a federation of separate nations. Clearly, the growth of Dutch control over the archipelago had no doubt been the critical factor that set the foundation for an undivided Indonesia.
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