The Indonesian language that developed in the Dutch East Indies in the 1920s was a language of revolution, reflecting the ways in which young Indonesian nationalists conceptualized their society. A key tool in developing the language for these nationalists was the emerging Indonesian print media. The 1920s public discourse in the Dutch East Indies had at least three important characteristics. First, in its anti-colonialism it tended to play down internal disputes and differences among the native population. Second, there was a strong focus on economic matters. This was partly a consequence of the strong economic orientation of Dutch colonialism, but it also reflected the worsening economic situation of the East Indies at the time. The focus on the economy was also due to strong Marxist influences within the Indonesian nationalist movement. And finally, the 1920s public discourse of the East Indies and the developing Indonesian language was replete with loan words and foreign concepts that were adopted through the Indonesian activists' frequent global connections. The Indonesian form of the Malay language, in 1928 formally renamed Bahasa Indonesia, borrowed concepts not only from Europe, but also from the Middle East and other Asian regions. These regions often functioned as reference points of ‘progressive comparison’ in visualizing the future independent Indonesia. Global events such as the Russian and Chinese revolutions or the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate, as well as the experiences and thoughts of individual intellectuals, were important for imagining a future society.