Indonesia, or the East Indies, was a Dutch colony from 1800 to 1949. However, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) dominated trade in the region and the Dutch army was based in Bantam, then Jakarta, as a deterrent while the VOC exploited the Spice Islands and their rich natural resources of nutmeg, cloves, pepper and mace.

The Dutch East India Company, or VOC, was a chartered company granted a monopoly by the Dutch government to carry out colonial activities in Asia. It was the first multinational corporation in the world and the first company to issue stock. It was also arguably the world's first megacorporation, possessing quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, coin money and establish colonies.

Between 1602 and 1796, the VOC sent almost a million Europeans to work in the Asia trade on 4,785 ships, and netted more than 2.5 million tons of Asian trade goods.