Economic Policies

       One reason why nationalism arose in SEA before WWII was because of economic policies taken by the colonial masters. 

        TrulyRichClub.com - Do You Want to Gain Financial Wealth and Spiritual Abundance at the Same Time?

       The introduction of capitalism into previously self-sufficient economies brought about competition from migrants and instability in the local economies as now they are subjected to the demand and supply mechanism of the world. These resulted in land alienation and indebtedness which led to the formation of nationalist parties to represent their interests. 

       In Indonesia, one of the main reasons why the Sarekat Islam (SI) was set up was to represent the economic interests of locals against the economic dominance of the Chinese and the Dutch. In doing so, it managed to gather together a large following of 360,000 by 1916, merely 3 years after its founding in 1913.

       This case study shows that the Dutch economic policies gave local SE Asians a compelling reason to congregate with such unity and in such large numbers. This paved the way for the formation of more mass-supported political parties in the future and that in turn provided more opportunities for SE Asians to fight for nationalist causes.

52 Healing Habits - How to Transform Your Health, in Body and Soul, One Simple and Powerful Habit at a Time!