Diponegoro: Catalyst of Indonesian Freedom

Prince Diponegoro single-handedly bankrupted the Dutch colonial empire and accidentally

triggered the chain reaction for Indonesia's freedom. It all started because the Dutch disrespected

him by building a road over his ancestors' graves. That war lasted five years and cost

the colonizers twenty million gulden. They were so broke they had to invent the brutal forced

cultivation system just to survive. That cruelty eventually backfired, forcing them to

offer education to locals as an apology. Those educated kids then grew up to

lead the national movement, proving Diponegoro’s rebellion was the snowball that eventually

crushed colonialism.