The European presence in Asian countries had a huge impact on the native communities. The reasons for leaving Europe were the same for all countries; they wanted power, money, and natural resources. But when the Europeans got to the Asian countries, their polices regarding the native peoples were all different. Two examples of these cases is the Dutch presence in Java, and the British presence in India. Both of these nations used the same method to gain control over the country, but their views on how to rule the country and how to deal with the people changed and differed over time.
When the Dutch first reached Java, they were the ones who were looked down upon. The Dutch were content to be vassals and pay tribute to the Mataram, the rulers of Java at the time. As time progressed however, the Dutch slowly gained control and power over the spice trading. They were able to do this by supporting certain provinces in wars, and earning their favor. The Dutch kept following this plan, until the Mataram only controlled south central portions of Java. In this way, the British were similar to the Dutch. The British also interfered with the native wars, but also had to deal with the French. However, when the British defeated the French, they were in control of almost all of India. In India, the resistance efforts were more organized. In Java, the Mataram tried to restore their control over Java, but the Dutch refused it. In India, the Indians organized an army of almost 50,000 men, and fought against an army of 3,000 British men and sepoys (Indian soldiers who fought for the British). Despite the Indian's efforts, they were defeated due to their lack of organization and military prowess.
The two European countries also had very similar attitudes regarding the natives. At first, the Dutch and the British both thought of the local people as lowly and inferior. But as time went on, the Europeans adapted some of the Javanese and Indian culture. The Europeans were forced to due this because of the climate zones that they were in. When the Dutch tried to create a “little Holland” in Java, it failed miserably and spread disease because it couldn't function in the hot Javanese climate. In the government, the Europeans often had a “partner” who was a native. The “partner” was not disregarded completely, but although the European had the final word, the “partner” had a big say in things. It was also common for the Europeans to have a native wife. The Dutch continued along this path of peace and toleration for a long time. However, the British went back to their old ways as seeing the Indians as inferior. It started because there was corruption in the East India Trading Company, and the control of India was passed on to the government. When Lord Cornwallis was defeated at Yorktown in the American Revolution, he was sent to India, and due to his dislike of the Indians, kept them out of political functions. Also, there was a rise in Utilitarianism. The Utilitarians thought that although the British system was flawed, it was still better then the Indian system. This though process led to a gradual removal of rights from the Indians, such as the practice of Sati (the burning of a widow after her husband dies), which was a Hindu tradition.
When the Dutch and British arrived in Java and India respectively, they thought of the natives as inferior savages. But as they lived in the country, they grew to befriend the natives, and almost treat them as equals. Both of the European countries' policies and how they took control of the land were relatively the same, but how they continued their treatment of the foreign people after an extended period of time differed.
