Mohammad Hatta was born in Fort De Kock (now known as Bukittinggi) into a prominent and strongly Islamic family. His mother's family was wealthy, and Hatta was able to study Dutch as well as finishing Qur'an after school.
In 1919, Hatta went to the HBS in Batavia. He completed his study with distinction in 1921, and was allowed to continue to study at the Erasmus University
Rotterdam) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He took economics as his major and earned a doctorandus degree in 1932.
In the Netherlands, Hatta joined the Indische Vereeniging. In 1922, the organization changed its name to Indonesische Vereeniging and later to its Indonesian translation: the Perhimpoenan
Indonesia.
By the middle of 1927, Perhimpoenan Indonesia's activities had alarmed the Dutch authorities. In June 1927, Dutch authorities raided the residence of the organization's leaders, searching through their rooms and putting Hatta and other four Indonesian activists behind bars. After spending nearly six months in prison, they were taken to trial in the Hague. They were permitted to explain themselves during the hearing, and Hatta took to the opportunity to explain Indonesia's nationalist cause. He made a speech to the court explaining that Indonesia's interests were in conflict with those of the Dutch, and that was why they could not cooperate. Hatta advocated cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands, but only if Indonesia was independent and treated as an equal partner, not unequally because of its status as a colony. The speech became famous and it is known as the Indonesia Vrij (Indonesia Merdeka) or Free Indonesia speech.
In 1929, Hatta and other Perhimpoenan Indonesia activists were released. In July 1932, Hatta made his way home to Indonesia.
(source: hhtp://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>Mohammad Hatta)
- What major did Hatta take in his study?