Author Hiroyoshi Kano uses international trade statistics to analyze three key elements of the Indonesian economy: the balance of international trade and payments, the transformation undergone by leading export industries, and the way in which the agricultural sector supplied land, labor, and food. Dividing the 150 years covered by the book into four periods, based on the prevailing major export industries, Kano identifies key actors and analyzes long-term changes in agricultural production and rural society, examining how they shaped the national Indonesian economy. Well-written and well-organized, this book is essential reading for students and scholars of Indonesian and international business and economic history.