Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, which consists of more than 17,000 islands. As an archipelago country, Indonesia has a maritime potential. Ironically, Indonesia does not have the...Show moreIndonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, which consists of more than 17,000 islands. As an archipelago country, Indonesia has a maritime potential. Ironically, Indonesia does not have the capacity to explore more its potential. This thesis describes that there are certain requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to achieve maritime power in the period before Indonesia, both economic and political. In this thesis, port development is chosen to represent the effort of the Dutch colonial government to enhance maritime power. The main question of this thesis is how did the Dutch colonial government of the Netherlands Indies exercise the maritime power in competition with the British in 1824-1914? To answer the research question, I worked with primary sources and secondary sources, such as Politieke Verslagen en Berichten uit de Buitengewesten, Haringhuizen-Schoemaker collection, 1872-1970, and some books that related to maritime development in Southeast Asia. I present political and economic development that contributed to the maritime power development. I also present six major ports development as representation of maritime power in the Netherlands Indies. The result shows that the Dutch colonial government the Dutch was able to fulfill the requirements to achieve maritime power by conquering the Outer Islands and their economic potential. The result also show that even though KPM (Koninkelijke Paketvaart Maatschappij)created a strong network of shipping lines they failed to maximize the effort to compete the British Singapore maritime power until the Great War.Show less
Because of his military experience Powell knew which strategies would work and not work. He knew which strategies would benefit the success of a military mission. The outcome of the Vietnam War...Show moreBecause of his military experience Powell knew which strategies would work and not work. He knew which strategies would benefit the success of a military mission. The outcome of the Vietnam War left a big hole in the confidence of the invincibility of the U.S. Colin Powell kept himself busy with the question how it was possible that the U.S lost the Vietnam War. What were the reasons for military defeat, for loss of confidence by the American people and what strategies could have worked to make the war end in a success, or, whether or not the war should have happened in the first place? Powell thought about this throughout his military career, from the end of the Vietnam War until the beginning of the 1990’s. Powell came up with different questions which should be thought over and answered before the U.S could go into another international mission or war. These questions together are better known as the Powell Doctrine. From the end of the Vietnam War until the first part of the 1990s there was the establishment and the rising of the Powell Doctrine as military and political Doctrine. From the second part of the 1990s onwards the Powell Doctrine has come into conflict with a new way of intervening: humanitarian intervention and the fight against terrorism. The position of the Powell Doctrine has come under scrutiny. The Afghanistan and Iraq Wars had America question whether or not there was still a future for the Powell Doctrine. The ups and downs of the Powell Doctrine will be the red threat throughout this thesis. But more interesting has been the fact how Powell himself followed his own doctrine throughout his political career.Show less
Two major processes occurred in the east Asian region. One; the decline of the strong position of the traditional Chinese trading network and two; the start of major migrant streams originating...Show moreTwo major processes occurred in the east Asian region. One; the decline of the strong position of the traditional Chinese trading network and two; the start of major migrant streams originating from the Chinese mainland. Both of these processes made use of a similar infrastructure that was laid out over the seas. But was there a connection between the these two phenomena other than time? I use the Dutch port Batavia as case study to examine this problem.Show less
Unlike the general pattern in post-war Indonesian that the revolution dynamic swept the traditional rulers away—killing some and humiliating all, there was a great intention in West Borneo to re...Show moreUnlike the general pattern in post-war Indonesian that the revolution dynamic swept the traditional rulers away—killing some and humiliating all, there was a great intention in West Borneo to re-embrace to the traditional aristocracy, who were welcoming the return of the Dutch. On the other hand, revolutionary sentiment supporting the Unitarian-Indonesia rang weaker. Actually, during the short Japanese interregnum, the traditional sovereignty in West Borneo was devastated: all of the ruling sultans were killed, together with some prominent royal members. Interestingly, the traditional authority was soon restored, just after the capitulation. The questions for this research revolve around: Why did the revolutionary republican fail to emerge which meant that fragile commitment to the new nation Indonesia was shown? On the other hand, why was its political development strongly marked by the prevailing of “re-clientelism”? In doing so, this research traces back the political development focus on two rapid changes: post-kongsi war in the late eighteenth century and post-Japanese interregnum. It argues that although, post-kongsi war, Batavia intended to exercise more direct control over its margin, the colonial government eventually only institutionalized the ethic bossism which enhanced strong ethnic political identity. As a consequence, the society still lived within their-own ethnic columns with brokered authority but very limited aces to the state practice by which later provided only weak support to the newly independence state of Indonesia.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
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2012-12-31T00:00:00Z, 2012-12-31T00:00:00Z
This thesis examines the content and form of the ambivalence displayed by indigenous inhabitants of North Formosa in their relations with the VOC servants in the seventeenth century (1642-1662,...Show moreThis thesis examines the content and form of the ambivalence displayed by indigenous inhabitants of North Formosa in their relations with the VOC servants in the seventeenth century (1642-1662, 1664-1668). It offers an ethnographic reconstruction of North Formosa, two narratives of the encounter with foregrounded indigenous characters, and an analysis of the name of Basay for a reconsideration of the nature of the Basay community. With its three experiments of historical writing, this thesis not only provides a reconstruction of North Formosa and its inhabitants but also reflects upon the potential of using non-indigenous sources to write indigenous history. The conclusion confirms that ambivalence is inevitable for the Basay who acted as the middlemen between local inhabitants and the Dutch in the North Formosan trading network, whereas other North Formosans like the River Peoples and the Kavalan felt freer to act according to their wills. Also, although non-indigenous sources show the potentials for reconstructing indigenous history, there are also challenges such as turning fragmented ethnographic details into a coherent ethnography and building the roundness of indigenous characters by foregrounding them in the chain of historical events. This thesis recommends ways to overcome these challenges and indicates ‘to be written’ as the burden of indigenous writers for a mixture of purposes.Show less
Growing demand or declining availability of water makes distribution decisions based on water scarcity an increasingly acute problem across the globe. In my research, I focused on the question...Show moreGrowing demand or declining availability of water makes distribution decisions based on water scarcity an increasingly acute problem across the globe. In my research, I focused on the question whether water scarcity can lead to conflict. To investigate how water and conflict are connected I used two theories which are the most relevant when dealing with the connection between water and conflict, Water Wars theory and Resource Curse theory. I studied the Darfur conflict case and the Chinese environmental conflict case to find out if water scarcity can lead to conflict.Show less
This dissertation focuses on the ideas and beliefs of Hendrik Brugmans, an interesting and influential man during the start of the European integration process right after the Second World War.
This thesis investigates the relationship between the Russian tsarist state and the four most important Russian Christian sects, the Khlysty, Skoptsy, Dukhobors, and Molokans, in the period 1801...Show moreThis thesis investigates the relationship between the Russian tsarist state and the four most important Russian Christian sects, the Khlysty, Skoptsy, Dukhobors, and Molokans, in the period 1801-1881. First the developments of the Russian Orthodox Church and the tsarist state following the Russian Orthodox Church schism (raskol), which gave rise to Russian religious dissent, are discussed, before moving on to an in-depth assessment of the history and beliefs of the four sects mentioned above. In the second part of the thesis the attitudes of the three tsars that ruled Russia between 1801 and 1881, Alexander I, Nicholas I, and Alexander II, are clarified, before the views of the sectarians on the policies of the three rulers are considered. It is then argued that these rulers, and Nicholas I specifically, vilified the sectarians as class of (imaginary) enemies as part of their state formation policies. In practice this meant the (forced) expulsion of many of the sectarians to the fringes of the Russian empire. The sectarians themselves, in turn, developed tools to cope with these conditions, and in some cases in their new role as frontier colonists became the epitome of Russianness in the multi-ethnic regions of the empire. This thesis therefore not only pays attention to the changing political situation of tsarist Russia in the nineteenth century and the state views on sectarianism, but also to the ways in which marginalized groups outside the Russian Orthodox Church reconciled their religious and ethnic identities with the demands of the state.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
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In de eerste eeuwen na Christus was het Romeinse Rijk een multicultureel, meertalig rijk dat vele verschillende gebieden en volkeren omvatte. Latijn, als taal van veroveraars en als taal van de...Show moreIn de eerste eeuwen na Christus was het Romeinse Rijk een multicultureel, meertalig rijk dat vele verschillende gebieden en volkeren omvatte. Latijn, als taal van veroveraars en als taal van de keizerlijke administratie, had een unieke positie in het rijk. Deze positie als belangrijkste taal van het rijk deelde Latijn slechts in sommige delen van het rijk met het Grieks. De Romeinen veroverden niet alleen verschillende koninkrijken en volkeren maar ook verschillende taalgebieden en vele provinciale talen bleven in gebruik in de eerste eeuwen na Christus binnen de grenzen van het Romeinse Rijk. In mijn thesis beantwoord ik de vraag hoe deze provinciale talen in gebruik bleven naast het Latijn en Grieks en welke interactie er plaatsvond tussen deze talen in de eerste drie eeuwen na Christus en hoe dit ons beeld van het de acculturatie in het Romeinse Rijk beïnvloedt. Om deze vraag te beantwoorden, heb ik een inventarisatie gemaakt van de inscripties van de verschillende provinciale talen die werden geschreven in de eerste drie eeuwen na Christus. De acht talen die zijn geattesteerd in de eerste drie eeuwen na Christus zijn: Neo-Phrygisch en Pisidisch in Klein-Azië, Aramees en Hebreeuws in de oostelijke provincies, Libisch en Neo-Punisch in Noord-Afrika, Lusitanisch in het Iberisch schiereiland en Gallisch in Frankrijk. Deze inventarisatie geeft een overzicht in de hoeveelheid inscripties geschreven in een provinciale taal en de domeinen waarin deze inscripties werden gebruikt. Mijn onderzoek omvat het hele Romeinse Rijk, van de Britse eilanden tot Syrië en van Noord-Afrika tot Klein-Azië en creëert zo de mogelijkheid om verschillende gebieden met elkaar te vergelijken. Aan de ene kant maak ik zeer intensief gebruik van epigrafisch materiaal omdat ik inscripties in vele verschillende talen en uit verschillende gebieden behandel, maar aan de andere kant is mijn gebruik van de inscripties gelimiteerd omdat ik de inscripties niet in detail lees of behandel. Epigrafisch materiaal levert een vruchtbare benadering voor de studie van sociale verandering en acculturatie. Taal is een belangrijk deel van de identiteit van personen en volkeren. Omdat taal een essentieel deel uitmaakt van cultuur, is het een belangrijk aspect binnen acculturatiestudies. Taalgebruik, zowel publiek en privé, kan een uiting zijn van culturele identiteit, maar het is een ook middel tot intercultureel contact of integratie en stijgen op de sociale ladder. Dit onderzoek plaatst taalgebruik stevig binnen het overkoepelende acculturatiedebat over het Romeinse rijk.Show less
In this thesis I compare nine sources from Jewish and Greek backgrounds between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. The overarching subject is eschatology, divided into chapters about afterlife, judgement and...Show moreIn this thesis I compare nine sources from Jewish and Greek backgrounds between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. The overarching subject is eschatology, divided into chapters about afterlife, judgement and revelations.Show less
In this study, I focused on how historians looked at British and American handling of the ‘Polish Question’ in World War II. This was from the moment the discovery of the mass graves at Katyn led...Show moreIn this study, I focused on how historians looked at British and American handling of the ‘Polish Question’ in World War II. This was from the moment the discovery of the mass graves at Katyn led to a break between the Soviet Union and the Polish government-in-exile in April 1943 to the end of the Warsaw Uprising in September 1944. I was particularly interested in what ways the United States and Great Britain wanted to solve this problem in accordance with the wishes of the Polish government-in-exile. It seems as if historians are biased on this subject. They mainly see a pleasing Allied side, desperately trying to keep Stalin in the War. Churchill and Roosevelt wanted to please Stalin so much, according to these historians, that they were willing to sell out their Polish allies and to forget about the Soviet crimes committed in the Easter-European country. Instead of this biased historical look on affairs, summarized in the schools of innocence and blame, I argue for the school of reconstruction or a more objective look at this subject.Show less
In this thesis I have examined if and how indigenous religion in north-western Europe (specifically Roman Britain and northern Gaul) changed after the Roman colonization. The basis of my research...Show moreIn this thesis I have examined if and how indigenous religion in north-western Europe (specifically Roman Britain and northern Gaul) changed after the Roman colonization. The basis of my research is the idea that agriculture is a very important factor in shaping culture and religion. Ton Derks (1998) has stated that in northern Gaul, the southern territories were much more accepting of Roman religious customs because the agricultural basis of their society, namely arable farming, was the same as that of the Romans. In the north, were stockbreeding was much more important, people were much less accepting of Roman culture and as a consequence religious habits did not change much after the Roman conquest. In other words, the core of people's beliefs remained the same. I have applied this theory to Roman Britain, as the differences between the highland and lowland zones present us with a very similar agricultural division. This research has shown that, while indigenous religion and world views did become more Roman (especially in the areas were arable farming was more important than stockbreeding), native populations also attempted to preserve, or create new local traditions to retain their own identity. Such changes were not always directly related to local forms of agriculture, but areas were arable farming was dominant were far more susceptible to them than the more conservative pastoral zones.Show less
The theory of the Military Revolution sees military innovation in Europe in the early modern period. Some historians such as Geoffry Parker have argued that due to these kind of innovations, Europe...Show moreThe theory of the Military Revolution sees military innovation in Europe in the early modern period. Some historians such as Geoffry Parker have argued that due to these kind of innovations, Europe could rule over other continents. A comparison is made in this thesis between the conquest of New Mexico and New Granada and military innovation of the sixteenth century. To further research the matter, a battleground in the northern parts of the Low Countries during the Dutch Revolt is also taken into consideration.Show less
In May 1912 the United States Congress approved a proposal for direct election of the members of the United States Senate. Until then, according to the United States Constitution, members of the...Show moreIn May 1912 the United States Congress approved a proposal for direct election of the members of the United States Senate. Until then, according to the United States Constitution, members of the Senate were chosen by the State Legislatures. The new procedure was laid down in the Seventeenth Amendment and became effective May 31, 1913. This thesis goes into the history of the Seventeenth Amendment and its influence on the standing and image of the Senate after 1913.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
This study compares the role played by Dutch and American engineers in the colonial governments of the Netherlands Indies and the American-controlled Philippines in the 1900-1920 timeframe. It...Show moreThis study compares the role played by Dutch and American engineers in the colonial governments of the Netherlands Indies and the American-controlled Philippines in the 1900-1920 timeframe. It contends that these colonial engineers extensively influenced the practical implementation of the civilizing missions of that were formulated in the United States and the Netherlands around 1900. Through the use of a sustained comparison between the activities of the engineers in these two Western countries and their tropical colonies the unique aspects of the American policy of “benevolent assimilation” and the Dutch “ethical policy” will be drawn into focus. This study makes use of the technocracy heuristic to analyze the behavior and ambitions of the engineers. Technocracy in this case refers to rule by experts, a goal that many members of the engineering profession that had emerged in both countries in the 1890s strove for. Such a political system could not be implemented in the Dutch and American metropoles, but in the colonies the engineers faced fewer obstacles to their political agenda. The technocratic ambitions of the engineers are reconstructed here by analyzing the rhetoric they used and the discourses they drew upon in their journals. In the first part of this study the emergence of the engineering profession in the Netherlands Indies and the United States is compared. The rhetoric of the engineers on either side of the Atlantic evinces important similarities, as does the receptiveness of politicians and public to their ideas. The new mode of imperialism and the civilizing missions that either country articulated concurrently also bear close resemblance. A series of vignettes in the second part of this study describing the practices and ideology of the colonial engineers working in the Netherlands Indies and the Philippines reveals how the meanings of the technologies they used were socially constructed. They show that the Americans possessed a unique willingness to have the Filipinos participate in their developmental strategy, whereas the Dutch did not cross the ethnographic separation from the Indonesians. This finding to an extent confirms the “exceptionalism” of American empire in this period.Show less
