The Netherlands Indies, also known as the Dutch East Indies, was a Dutch colony which is now Indonesia. It was made up of Sumatra, Java, Borneo excluding North Borneo, Celebes, Moluccas, and the Lesser Sunda Islands.
During World War II, the nationalist movement of the archipelago became more powerful, and in August 1945, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta who became president and vice-president, declared Indonesia’s independence.
The Netherlands attempted to regain power over the islands that sparked the Indonesian National Revolution. In December 1949, Indonesia’s cry for independence was finally acknowledged by the Netherlands, putting an end to the revolt.
The Netherlands Indies guilder was the unit of account of the Netherlands East Indies. It was introduced at the beginning of the United East Indies Company (VOC) in 1602. After the fall of the VOC in the 18th century, 'Netherlands Indies' guilder and fractional silver and copper coins were issued by the Dutch government until the nation’s independence in 1945.
