page_title: New Imperialism
section_title: Dutch Ethical Policy
hierarchical_section_title: New Imperialism / Motivation / Dutch Ethical Policy
caption_attribution_description: English: Dutch, Eurasian and Javanese professors of law at the opening of the Rechts Hogeschool in Batavia (Jakarta) in 1924. Nederlands: Foto. Aangeboden aan Zijne Excellentie den Gouverneur-Generaal van Nederlandsch-Indië ter gelegenheid van de opening der Rechts Hoogeschool te Batavia. Staand van links naar rechts: E. Bessem, B.J.O. Schrieke, B. ter Haar, F.M. baron van Asbeck, R.D. Kollewijn, J. Kats en J.H. Boeke. Zittend van links naar rechts: Prof. Hussein Djajadiningrat, P. Scholten en J.H.A. Logemann. Professoren der Rechts Hogeschool in Batavia. English: Foto. Presented to His Excellency the Governor-General of Netherlands Indies during the celebration of the opening of the School of Law in Batavia - Standing from left to right: E. Bessem, B.J.O. Schrieke, B. ter Haar, F.M. baron van Asbeck, R.D. Kollewijn, J. Kats and J.H. Boeke . Sitting from left to right: Prof. Djajadiningrat Hussein, P. Scholten and J.H.A. Logemann. Professors of the School of Law, Batavia.
context_page_description: In historical contexts, New Imperialism characterizes a period of colonial expansion by Western European powers, the United States, Russia and Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  The period featured an unprecedented pursuit of overseas territorial acquisitions. At the time, states focused on building their empires with new technological advances and developments, expanding their territory through conquest, and exploiting the resources of the subjugated countries.
  During the era of New Imperialism, the Western powers individually conquered almost all of Africa and parts of Asia. The new wave of imperialism reflected ongoing rivalries among the great powers, the economic desire for new resources and markets, and a "civilizing mission" ethos. Many of the colonies established during this era gained independence during the era of decolonization that followed World War II.
  The qualifier "new" is used to differentiate modern imperialism from earlier imperial activity, such as the so-called first wave of European colonization between 1402 and 1815.
context_section_description: The Dutch Ethical Policy was the dominant reformist and liberal political character of colonial policy in the Dutch East Indies during the 20th century. In 1901, the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina announced that the Netherlands accepted an ethical responsibility for the welfare of their colonial subjects.  This announcement was a sharp contrast with the former official doctrine that Indonesia was mainly a wingewest (region for making profit). It marked the start of modern development policy, implemented and practised by Alexander Willem Frederik Idenburg, whereas other colonial powers usually talked of a civilizing mission, which mainly involved spreading their culture to colonized peoples.
  The Dutch Ethical Policy (Dutch: Ethische Politiek) emphasised improvement in material living conditions.  The policy suffered, however, from serious underfunding, inflated expectations and lack of acceptance in the Dutch colonial establishment, and it had largely ceased to exist by the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. It did however create an educated indigenous elite able to articulate and eventually establish independence from the Netherlands.
caption: Dutch, Indo-Eurasian and Javanese professors of law at the opening of the Rechts Hogeschool in 1924.
exif: {}