“Kekacauan November” hingga Indische Herzieningscommissie: Masa awal Volksraad dan dampaknya terhadap pemerintahan kolonial (1918–1920)

Abstract

This article examines the Volksraad (People’s Council) in the Netherlands East Indies during 1918–1920 as an arena of colonial political contestation rather than merely an advisory institution. Focusing on the “November Chaos” of 1918 and the subsequent establishment of the Indische Herzieningscommissie, the study investigates how limited colonial representation generated pressures for broader constitutional reform. Using historical methods and drawing on Giddens’ theory of structuration and Tilly’s theory of collective action, the analysis is based on Volksraad proceedings, government reports, newspapers, and contemporary publications. The findings show that the Volksraad evolved into a forum in which progressive European, Indo-European, and indigenous representatives collectively challenged colonial authority and demanded expanded political rights. Although these pressures prompted reform initiatives, their implementation was constrained by metropolitan interests, post-war political anxieties, and the Dutch determination to preserve colonial control. The study argues that the early Volksraad embodied a central paradox of colonial reform: an institution designed to manage political participation instead created a space for opposition, negotiation, and competing claims to representation. This case highlights the limits of colonial constitutional reform and the unintended political consequences of representative institutions within imperial rule.