Category Story of Nations

          If you are planning to visit Indonesia, be ready to be welcomed by the invigorating aroma of spices. Indonesia had a huge market of spices and was a part of several trade routes. The strategic location and of course the spices attracted sea-farers across the world.

          Indian and Arab merchants had trade relations with Indonesia before the Europeans entered the scene. The British and the Portuguese struggled to control the islands, but it was the Dutch who could succeed in it: they ruled Indonesia from 1798 and brought in a sense of unity among the islanders. A century after the Dutch rule, Indonesia gained independence and became a republic in 1949, with Achmed Sukarno as the first president. The army became a powerful force after independence.

          In recent years Indonesia was very much in the news because of the earthquake in the Indian Ocean and the tsunami that followed, which devastated the archipelago in 2004. It is once again in the news as the country is planning to move the capital out of Jakarta, the present capital.

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          The name Philippines has got a Spanish connection. The Spanish colonized the country in 1565. The name Philippines was given to commemorate their king Philip ll.

          The Filipinos are descendants of Malays who settled in the islands around 3000 BC. The Spanish established a colony and enjoyed its agrarian wealth for around three hundred years. After the Spanish – American war, the USA bought Philippines for 20 million dollars. Thus America got its ownership! This transfer of ownership happened in 1891 and almost half a century later, Philippines gained independence under the military leadership of President Marcos. Marcos was ousted later on charges of corruption.

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          Throughout its existence, Malaysia was occupied and ruled by different countries and powers. The early settlers of Malaysia came from China. Before the Britishers set foot, the country was occupied by the Arabs, Portuguese and Dutch. The Britishers came in the 1800s and ruled the country for almost a century.

          During the Second World War, Japan occupied Malaysia. After the war, the communists started a terrorist campaign against the British and Malaysia finally gained independence in 1957. Since then, it has a democratic system of government. It has a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

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          Legends say that Singapore was founded by a Malay prince who set foot on the island in the 13th century. We don’t know if this is true, but the modern-day Singapore was born in 1819. Sir Stamford Raffles, a trader with the British East India Company founded the island country.

          Many Chinese people came to the island for work and trade. For almost hundred years, Britain ruled the country. Though Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, it backed out to become a separate nation in 1965. Singapore is one of the richest Southeast Asian countries whose money comes from international trade, banking and shipping.

          Singapore transitioned to a first world country from a third world country under the leadership of their first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

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          Andorrans haven’t been at war for almost a thousand years now. In the 1930s, France occupied the country to prevent the effects of the Spanish Civil war from entering Andorra. Though Andorrans declared war against Germany in the Second World War, they didn’t really send anybody to fight.

          According to legends, Andorra was founded by Emperor Charlemagne, a Frankish ruler. Andorrans are believed to have helped the emperor in defeating the Moors. The French Count of Foix and the Spanish Bishop jointly began to rule Andorra from 1278. Andorra practiced this feudal system until it was replaced by democracy in 1993. Even today, Andorra has two official heads- the Bishop of Urgel and the President of France.

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          Around two thousand years ago,  Switzerland was called Helvetia when the Romans conquered the land. It was initially inhabited by a group of people known as Helvetii who named it so. Along with its new name, Switzerland is still known as Helvetia in some places.

          After years of war against their oppressive rulers, the Swiss gained independence in 1648. This was a time when wars swept across Europe between several countries. But Switzerland chose to remain neutral, avoiding the violence and brutality of war. A constitution was established after the wars under the mediation of Napoleon, but it did not last long. It subsequently became a republic with twenty-two cantons.

          Switzerland remained neutral during World War I and II. The Swiss concentrated on industrialization and economic growth. The peaceful atmosphere of the country has attracted many organizations like the UN and the WHO to establish their offices in the country. Switzerland today is a federal democratic state with peace, stability and prosperity.

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          Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg are collectively known as the Low Countries because most of the land lies near the coast of the North Sea. These countries came together for trade and became rich in the Middle Ages.

          The French dukes controlled this area for a while. But, they chose to join the Habsburg family in the 1500s, which ruled over Spain and Austria. Peace did not prevail in the Low Countries even though they were rich. There were a series of wars and they were ruled by foreign powers time and again. Belgium broke free from Netherlands in 1830 and Luxembourg gained independence in 1867.

          In 1948, these countries joined again in an economic union. This union is referred to as Benelux, a combination of the first sounds of the three countries. Benelux was a founding member of the European Economic Community.

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          Denmark has one of the most peaceful societies in the world with high standards of living. It is one of the least corrupted democracies.

          Denmark was once ruled by the Vikings. The Vikings were replaced by the Danish monarch. Remember the Kalmar Union that we discussed in the history of Sweden? After the dissolution of this treaty, Denmark went to war against Sweden and lost much of its territory.

          The country fought wars with Germany too. Denmark lost Schleswig to Germany, but it was regained after the First World War. This happened in the 1920s, leading to the creation of modern Denmark.

          Germany occupied Denmark during the Second World War, but it was freed after the war. Today, Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with a vibrant representative democracy.

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          Finland has strong neighbours who played a key role in shaping its history. It is a small nation positioned between Sweden and Russia and has often been a tool to prove the power of its neighbours. Sweden started to gain control over Finland from the 1100s which was later lost to Russia in the Napoleonic War.

          Russia invaded Finland in 1809 and it became part of the Russian Empire. The Russian Revolution paved way to Finland’s independence. It became a free country in 1907. After gaining liberty, the people tried to establish a monarchy. This attempt was a failure; the country later became a republic with the president as the head of the State. The Soviet Union occupied Finland again during World War ll. Though the country lost some of its territories, it regained freedom after the war.

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           Sweden was not known to the world till Vikings explored this land. Sweden prospered under the rule of Vikings who fought wars to expand their territory.

          By AD 1000, several provinces united and established nobility. Later in 1389, Sweden, Denmark and Norway united under the Danish Queen Margaret. This is known as the Kalmar Union. The Kalmar Union was short-lived: internal conflicts erupted between these countries and they broke off the agreement.

          The credit of building modern Sweden goes largely to King Gustav Vasa. Sweden enjoyed great cultural developments in the 18th and 19th centuries due to its contact with France. The economy picked up during World War I. Sweden is now one of the wealthiest nations of the world. The monarch is still the head of the country, but the real power lies with the elected representatives of the people.

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