Assessment
The Ethical Policy was the first serious effort to create programmes for economic development in the tropics. It differed from the "civilizing mission" of other colonial powers in emphasising material welfare rather than a transfer of culture. The educational component of the Policy was mainly technical; it did not aim at creating brown Dutchmen and women. The Policy foundered on two problems. First, the budgets allocated to the Policy's programmes were never sufficient to achieve its aims, with the result that many colonial officials became disillusioned with the possibility of achieving lasting progress. The financial stringencies of the Great Depression put a definitive end to the Policy. Second, the educational programmes of the Policy contributed significantly to the Indonesian National Revival, giving Indonesians the intellectual tools to organize and to articulate their objections to colonial rule. As a result, many in the colonial establishment saw the Ethical Policy as a mistake that was counter to Dutch interests.
Read more about this topic: Dutch Ethical Policy
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