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The Dutch East Indies, or just the East Indies, is a Dutch colony in Asia. It consists of numerous islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Neighbouring countries include Australasian Confederation, the Portuguese colony of East Timor and the German colonial possessions in the Pacific Ocean (Kaiser-Wilhelmsland, Indochina, Malaysia and the Caroline Islands). The territory is administered from the city of Batavia in Java, where the governor-general resides. The Dutch East Indies are divided into three “Gouvernementen”, Groote Oost (Celebes, Sunda islands, Moluccas and New Giunea), Borneo and Sumatra, and three provinces in Java. Provincies and Gouvernementen were both divided to Residencies but while the Residencies under Provincies were divided again to regentschappen, Residencies under Gouvermenten were divided to Afdeelingen first before being divided to regencies.

History[]

The first sovereign presence of the Netherlands appeared in 1800, when the VOC (Dutch East India company) was dissolved and its territories nationalised into the Dutch republic. During the Napoleonic wars, the Indies were occupied by Great Britain but returned to the Dutch in 1816. Over the course of the 19th century, the Dutch East Indies administration slowly expanded its control over the archipelago, quashing the last resistance on Java in 1830 to fighting the Sultanate of Aceh in the north of Sumatra between 1873 and 1904, culminating in the subjugation of the last independent kingdom in the archipelago in 1920 with the pacification of the Bird’s head peninsula in New Guinea. The Netherlands remained neutral during the Weltkrieg and as such, the Indies remained non-belligerent as well. During the early 20th century, the first calls for independence started to take form, with the Indies Social Democratic Association (ISDV) introducing the first marxist ideas to the colony. In 1925, Insulindian socialists rose, inspired by the British and Indian Revolutions of the same year. This was a miscalculation however, and resulted in a harsh crackdown on these movements that ultimately led to its destruction. In the wake of this vacuum in the independence movement, new movements could rise, like the National Party of Insulindia (PNI), founded by several students with Sukarno being the leader. Weary of the possibility of a more sophisticated version of the revolt in 1925, colonial authorities acted swiftly to keep these tendencies contained, and as of 1936 the independence movement, now with the PNI as the most important head remains weak, although some believe that when the economy won’t do as well as it currently does anymore, they will resurface.

Politics[]

The Dutch East Indies are a colonial administration ruled indirectly by the Netherlands through the Ministry of Colonies, which appoints the Governor-General and the Raad van Nederlandsch-Indië (Council of the Dutch (East) Indies), which advises the earlier. Since 1918, the Volksraad has instated, acting as parliament for the East Indies and the first attempt at self-rule for the colony. The Volksraad is only elected among a small portion of the population however and the Governor-General may overrule it, effectively rendering it merely an advisory body.

Laws and Government:

Conscription Law: Volunteer Only

Economic Law: Civilian Economy

Trade Law: Export Focus

Head of Government: Willem van Helsdingen

Foreign Minister: Bep Schrieke

Economy Minister: Lubbertus Götzen

Security Minister: Peter J. Koets

Colonial Military[]

Royal Dutch East Indies Army[]

The Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) has the responsibility of defending the Indies on land and consists of three infantry divisions and six colonial garrison divisions. The KNIL is widely considered to be incapable of effectively defending the archipelago on its own, merely sufficing to maintain the order, with the planning of shipping over regular Dutch conscript divisions in case of an emergency. Some generals believe this is too risky and seek to incorporate greater numbers of natives into the military.

Government Navy[]

The Government Navy is the detachment of the Dutch navy in the East Indies, nominally operated from the Dutch mainland. With one carrier, four battleships, three battlecruisers, one heavy cruiser, five light cruisers, twelve destroyers and twelve submarines, it is considered fairly sizeable and regionally notable, but smaller than the German East Asian and Australasian fleets, to say nothing of the Imperial Japanese and United States navies in the context of the wider Pacific.

Aerial detachment of the Dutch East Indies Army[]

The Aerial detachment of the KNIL serves as the airforce of the Dutch East Indies and is very small and neglected compared to the other branches, maintaining 25 naval bombers.

Foreign Relations[]

As a colony of the Netherlands, the Dutch East Indies does not maintain diplomatic relations with other countries other than the motherland, which is, in South East Asia, keeps warm relations with German East Asia, and hostile and weary relations with the Bharatiya Commune and Japan respectively. The Dutch East Indies borders German East Asia on Borneo and New Guinea and Australasia on New Guinea as well.

Economy[]

The Dutch East Indies are primarily a raw natural resources-based export economy, selling oil, rubber and sugar to the demanding markets of Mitteleuropa through the Netherlands.

Industry[]

The Dutch East Indies has:

  • 2 military factories
  • 1 Civilian Factories (1 taxed by the Netherlands)
  • 1 Dockyard
  • 400 Convoys

After all possible build-ups by Dutch East Indian focus tree:

  • +1 Military Factory
  • +2 Civilian Factories
  • +2 Dockyards

Resources:

  • 671 units of rubber
  • 48 units of oil
  • 48 units of aluminum

See also[]

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