Kekecauan November hingga Indische Herzieningscommissie: Masa Awal Volksraad dan Dampaknya terhadap Pemerintahan Kolonial

Abstract

This article examines the early years of the Volksraad (People’s Council) of the Netherlands East Indies, which emerged from the continuation of the Ethical Policy and decentralisation initiatives, initially conceived as an advisory council to the colonial government. From the outset, the Volksraad became a platform for nationalists and progressive politicians to unite in criticising colonial authority. The ‘November Chaos’ of 1918 compelled the government to respond with the November Declaration and the establishment of the Indische Herzieningscommissie. Yet these measures created difficulties for the Dutch authorities and exposed the constraints of colonial governance. Employing historical methods alongside the structurist approaches of Giddens (2010) and Tilly (1978), this study provides a causal analysis of the Volksraad’s early development and its political consequences between 1918 and 1920. Primary sources consulted include contemporary notes, reports, and other relevant documents. The findings indicate that Volksraad functioned not merely as an advisory council but as a political arena where progressive voices converged to exert collective pressure on the colonial administration. Furthermore, the colonial government’s response revealed both the limited authority of the governor-general and the influence of metropolitan intervention. Overall, the article argues that the early Volksraad represented a significant milestone in colonial political transformation, highlighting the tensions between aspirations for reform and the realities of colonial power within the broader political history of the Netherlands East Indies in the early twentieth century.