World History Imperialism Unit Flashcards

Imperialism

stronger nation controls weaker nation’s politics, economy, and society.

Racism

The idea that one race is superior to others.

Social Darwinism

Darwin's ideas used to justify social change and inequality - “survival of the fittest”

Berlin Conference

14 European nations met to lay down rules for the division of Africa.

What year was Berlin Conference?

1884-1885

Boer

Dutch settlers that gradually took over native Africans' land and established large farms.

What was true of indirect control?

It had limited self-rule.

What did indirect control and direct control have in common?

They both based government institutions on the European stystem.

What was the main cause of inadequate food supplies in Africa during European colonization?

Europeans insisted on the growth of cash crops, such as cotton.

Assimilation

Based on the idea that in time, the local populations would become absorbed into European culture.

What are three positive aspects of Imperialism?

1. Colonialism reduced local warfare.

2. Humanitarian efforts in some colonies improved sanitation and brought hospitals and schools.

3. Life spans increased.

What are three negative results of Imperialism?

1. Africans lost control of their land and their independence.

2. Many died of new diseases such as smallpox.

3. Famines resulted from the change to cash crops in place of subsistence agriculture.

Why was India called the "jewel in the crown"?

It was the most valuable of all the British colonies.

What happened as a result of the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885?

Europeans divided Africa into colonies without consulting African leaders.

Why did Western nations desire lands in the Asia?

Because of their natural resources and strategic location.

What was the leading power in India before the Sepoy Mutiny?

East India Company.

What was a Sepoy?

An Indian soldier.

Who did the Sepoys work for?

The East India Company and British officers.

India served two main purposes for the British, what were they?

To produce raw materials and buy British finished goods.

What are four types of plantation crops were grown and shipped in India?

Tea, indigo, coffee and opium

How is the location of India a great advantage for trade?

It's very coastal.

What are some positive impacts British colonialism had on India?

• Modern roads, telegraphs, dams, bridges, irrigation

• Increased literacy, new schools and colleges

• Better sanitation and public health

What are three negative impacts of British colonialism on India?

1. Britain held much of the political and economic power.

2. British restricted Indian-owned industries.

3. Cash crops reduced food supplies.

What were the rifle cartridges filled with that upset the Sepoys?

Beef and pork fat.

What was the main cause of the Sepoy Mutiny?

They Sepoys refused to accept the cartridges and rebelled.

After the Sepoy Mutiny what country took direct command of India?

British government.

The part of India that was under direct control of Britain was called the...?

Raj.

This person began a campaign to move India away form traditional practices and ideas. He was also called the "Father of Modern India."

Ram Mohun Roy.

What Nationalist group was founded in 1885?

Indian National Congress.

What Nationalist group was founded in 1906 in response to the creation of the Indian National Congress

Muslim League.

What are the main two religions of India?

Muslim and Hindu.

The opening of this canal increased the demand for tin and rubber.

Suez Canal.

Why did Leopold turn over the Congo to the Belgian government and what happened?

• International outrage over abuses

• Africans had no role in government

• Wealth from mines went to Europe

What did Europeans do to Africa within 20 years?

conquest all of Africa with the exception of Liberia and Ethiopia

What are the main factors that kept Europeans out of the interior of the areas they eventually imperialized?

resistance, geography and disease

Boxer Rebellion

• Secret Chinese group vs. "foreign devils"

• Happened in Beijing

• Ended by British troops

Causes/effect of Imperialism

C: Nationalism, competition, industrialism, missionary spirit, racism

E: Colonization, exploitation, Christianization, modernization

Colony

a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country.

Geopolitics

An interest in or taking of land for its strategic location or products

Jewel in the Crown (of the British Empire)

the British colony of India--- so called because of its importance in the British empire, both as a supplier of raw materials and as a market for British trade goods

How did the Europeans use social darwinism to justify empire building?

• Believed wealth and success made them better

• Felt it was their duty to "civilize" weaker nations

How did imperialism contribute to unity and the growth of Nationalism in India?

• More nationalism and rivalry

• Stronger militaries

• Formation of alliances

How did colonial rule cause a breakdown in traditional African culture?

• Lost unity, cultures separated

• Ethnic groups divided by random borders

• Loss of culture

Protectorate

Country with its own government but under the control of an outside power

Shpere of influence

Area where an outside power controls trade/investment.

Why did Britain want control of the Suez Canal?

It was considered a "lifeline" for the British to have quicker access to colonies in Asia and Africa, extend its influence and gain control of the African Continent.

Opium War

• Britain vs. Qing Empire

• Caused by China's refusal to allow opium import

• British won and imposed Treaty of Nanking on China

Treaty of Nanjing

• Ended Opium War

• Western nations controlled trade with China

• Set up unequal treaty system

• Westerners had own laws in China

• Created 5 treaty ports, including Hong Kong

Famine

• Severe food shortage

• Caused by crop failure or cash-crops over food crops

• Leads to hunger, starvation, and death

Gunboat Diplomacy

• Using military force/threat to get political or economic deals

• Often used by Britain against China

Qing Empire

1644 - 1912 China

Why did the Chinese have little interest in trading with the West?

They were completely self sufficient and had all the raw materials they needed already.

Cecil Rhodes

• British entrepreneur/politician

• Expanded British Empire in Africa

• Founded De Beers Diamond Corp

• Rhodesia (Zimbabwe & Zambia) named after him

John Bull

A figure who stands for England in political satire and political cartoons. He is a stout, feisty man, often shown in a suit made out of the British flag.

Partition

(n.) something that divides (such as a wall); the act of dividing something into parts or sections; (v.) to divide or subdivide into parts or shares

Scramble for Africa

• European powers rapidly conquered Africa (1880s-1890s)

• Britain took eastern Africa, France took northwestern Africa

• Other countries (Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Spain) got smaller parts

Berlin Conference date

A meeting from 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed on rules colonization of Africa

White Man's Burden

A poem by British poet Rudyard Kipling commenting on American imperialism. It created a phrase used by imperialists to justify the imperialistic actions.

The Black Man's Burden

Response to white man's burden which talked about the mistreatment of the Africans

Legacy of Imperialism

• new crops,

• migration and labor from Europeans around the world,

• colonial conflict of imperial power vs native people

Mughal Empire

Muslim state (1526-1857) exercising dominion over most of India in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Maratha Empire

• South Asian empire (1674-1818)

• Rebellion against Mughal Empire

Caste System

a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society

Sati

The Indian custom of a widow voluntarily throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her husband.

Nationalism

Loyalty and devotion to a particular nationality or ethnicity

Open Door Policy

A policy proposed by the US in 1899, under which ALL nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.

Treaty ports

• Cities opened to foreigners through forced treaties

• Foreigners had extraterritorial rights (lived under their own laws)

Hong Kong

A British colony in China, received after the first Opium War and returned to China in 1997 now a city of 7 million facing increased control by Mainland China.

Taiping Rebellion

a mid-19th century rebellion against the Qing Dynasty in China, led by Hong Xiuquan

Direct Control

Style of imperial government where the head power (ex Great Britain) controlled all levels of government and appointed its own officials to govern the colony.

Boer War

Lasting from 1899 to 1902, Dutch colonists and the British competed for control of territory in South Africa.

Blood Diamonds

diamonds mined in war zones with profits used to fund a revolution or rebellion

palm oil

A West African tropical product often used to make soap; the British encouraged its cultivation as an alternative to the slave trade. Commonly used today in a very wide range of products

Causes of Imperialism

• Industrial Revolution needed more raw materials

• Nationalism pushed for colonies

• Growing populations needed more land

• New markets for goods

• Better weapons and technology

• Desire to spread religion and culture

• Belief in Social Darwinism

• Goal of global empire

Effects of Imperialism

Increased use of cash crops, wars between natives and Europeans, and building up the infrastructure.

5100 miles

distance saved by using the Suez Canal instead of rounding Africa

Triangular Trade

A system in which goods and slaves were traded among the Americas, Britain, and Africa

Apartheid

Laws (no longer in effect) in South Africa that physically separated different races into different geographic areas.

Ottoman Empire

Major Islamic state centered on Anatolia that came to include the Balkans, the Near East, and much of North Africa.

Raj

British rule after India came under the British crown during the reign of Queen Victoria

2047

The year the Chinese government can officially assimilate Hong Kong into the mainland