The VOC was later dissolved in 1800 because of bankruptcy. After a short British rule under Thomas Stamford Raffles, the Dutch state took over the VOC's possessions in 1816. A Javanese uprising was crushed in the Java War of 1825-1830 and soon after that, a system of forced labour was introduced in Java. This system brought the Dutch and their Indonesian helpers enormous wealth.
The system tied the Indonesian peasants to their land, and forced them to work in government-owned plantations for approximately a sixth of the year. The system was abolished in 1870, allowing for more freedom among the Indonesians. In 1901 the Dutch adopted the Ethical Policy, which included somewhat increased investment in education, and some political reforms.
For most of the colonial period, Dutch control over its territories in the Indonesian archipelago was fairly insignificant. It was only in the early 20th century, three centuries after the first Dutch trading post, that the full extent of the colonial territory was established and direct colonial rule exerted across Indonesia. Portuguese Timor, now East Timor, remained under Portuguese rule until 1975 when it was invaded by Indonesia. The Indonesian government declared the territory an Indonesian province, but relinquished it in 1999.