Dutch East Indies

The Dutch East Indies (Dutch: Nederlands-Indië), a Dutch colonial territory comprising present-day Indonesia, colonized from the early 17th century until Indonesian independence in the mid-20th century. The term refers to the colonial polity and its society, where a European-legal-class population—many of mixed European and native ancestry—resided in cities alongside indigenous peoples under Dutch administration.

Claims that use this term

• Colonial orphanages in Dutch Indies cities housed destitute European-descended children
• Three-quarters of Dutch Indies people classed European had partial native ancestry
• Max Havelaar (1860) scandalized Dutch Indies administration and made Dekker famous