AP WORLD UNIT 6

What is nationalism?

Nationalism is when people who are linked through shared language, religion, or social customs believe in their own greatness.

How did nationalism contribute to the second wave of imperialism?

Nationalism is often tied to a desire for territory and to be seen as a great power. This led to increased competition to build a large empire.

What was Social Darwinism?

It was a play on Darwin’s theory of evolution. Social darwinists believed that survival of the fittest applied to humans. It became a form of “scientific racism” that assumed that non-western races were like children who had not matured.

How did Social Darwinism contribute to the second wave of imperialism?

Industrialized European states believed they were fitter than unindustrialized states. As the “fit” they were entitled to take over the “unfit.”

What was the civilizing mission?

Imperial nations felt it was their duty to develop the people they were conquering. This included converting colonized people to Christinaity and educating them in western-style schools. In America and Canada a popular slogan for those taking over indigenous lands was “kill the Indian in him to save the man.”

What led the Belgian Congo to go from private control to state control?

King Leopold II of Belgium made Congo his private property. His exploitation of the land and people to extract rubber was so brutal that the Belgian government took the colony away from him and brought it under their control.

What is a good example of European states expanding their empires in Africa with diplomacy?

The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) was called by Otto von Bismarck of Germany due to growing competition among imperial states. They carved up Africa into European colonial holdings without any input from African leaders, often combining rival groups and dividing unified groups.

What is a good example of European states expanding their empires in Africa with warfare?

The British in South Africa fought the Dutch, who were there first, in the Boer Wars. The British consolidated their power and drove both the Dutch Afrikaners and the indigenous South Africans into refugee camps with brutal conditions and high death tolls.

Where were settler colonies established in this time period?

The British takeover of Australia and New Zealand led to massive waves of British settlers going to those lands to populate them. This led to the introduction of new diseases that killed indigenous populations (similar to what happened c. 1450-1750 in the Americas and Philippines). There were also settler colonies established during the Scramble for Africa.

In what ways did the United States participate in 19th century imperialism?

The United States conquered neighboring territory in westward expansion, calling it Manifest Destiny. This lasted until the end of the 19th century and led to indigenous populations being restricted to reservations.

They also expanded into Southeast Asia when the US defeated Spain in the Spanish American War and took control of the Philippines.

What did Russian expansion look like in the 19th century?

Russia expanded to neighboring territories by conquering Siberia, all the way to the Pacific. They also added lands in the south and the west. With the belief that Russia should unite all Slavic peoples under their rule they also developed the ideology of Pan-Slavism.

What did imperialism look like for Japan at this time?

Due to rapid industrialization during the Meiji Restoration, Japan was able to expand its influence over Korea, Manchuria, and other parts of China.

What was economic imperialism?

Extending control over another state by economic means

How did the British practice economic imperialism in China?

In the 19th century, the British and China had a trade imbalance. The British still wanted Chinese luxury goods, but China only wanted British silver. The British started selling Opium to China to fix the imbalance, but China did not want the highly addictive drugs sold there so they banned the sale. This led to the First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanjing, which favored British interests such as opening more ports in China. The Chinese authorities could not stop the sale of opium in China which gave European states a distinct economic advantage.

How did instability in China lead to greater European control?

Internal rebellions like the Taiping Rebellion and wars like the Second Opium War led to the creation of spheres of influence in China. It was carved up and parts of it were controlled by various western powers, Japan, and Russia.

What is an example of economic imperialism in Latin America?

The United Fruit Company, run by an American, built infrastructure like railroads and ports throughout Latin America (notably, Costa Rica) in exchange for control of large amounts of land to support their banana business. This gave them a distinct advantage and economic control of these lands.

What is the difference between economic imperialism and the economics of imperialism?

Economic imperialism is CAUSE. It’s a method states use to control various places. The economics of imperialism is an EFFECT. It has to do with how global economics changed as a result of imperialism.

What is an export economy?

An economy that is arranged around the export of commodities.

How were export economies a continuity from the previous era, c. 1450-1750 CE?

The places that became export economies were created to support imperial empires.

This is a continuity from c. 1450-1750 where conquered or colonized nations were expected to support those who conquered them.

And similarly to the previous era, colonies were expected to buy finished products from their conquerors as well making them economically dependent on the mother country.

What are some examples of new export economies?

The British forced India and Egypt to grow cotton for export.

West African economies were focused on the export of palm oil to lubricate machines.

In other places economies focused on food products like coffee or meat from livestock

How did industrialization lead to increased migration?

Technology like railroads and steamships allowed migrants to migrate easily and cheaply, and return home.

What were the environmental causes of increased migration c. 1750-1900?

Demographic changes, like the large and growing population in Europe led to job shortages, especially in rural areas. Many moved to urban areas seeking work.

Famines, like the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s, were a challenge to existing patterns of living. This led millions to migrate, seeking better lives, including in the United States.

How did the desire for work lead to different kinds of migration?

Some migrants made a free choice to relocate (like the Irish to the United States).

Others became part of semi-coerced labor systems

What was indentured servitude?

This was a form of semi-coerced labor. The British helped Indian and Chinese workers to move throughout their empire doing the work that enslaved people had formerly done. They signed contracts they often could not read and that forced them into long hours in terrible conditions.

What was convict labor?

This was another form of semi-coerced labor. The British and French created penal colonies in Australia and French Guiana. They sent convicts to perform years of hard labor on imperial projects like railroads.

What was a social effect of increased migration on the places people left?

Because most migrants were men, their home countries saw a growing gender imbalance. This led to women taking on roles that had traditionally been reserved for men.

What was a cultural effect of increased migration on the receiving societies

Many ethnic enclaves were formed. People who migrated together and practiced the same religion often gathered in the same neighborhoods. This created places like Chinatown or Little Italy where migrants could find foods and goods that reminded them of home

What was a negative social effect of increased migration on the receiving societies?

Some places saw a rise in nativism or prejudice of the native born people against new minority populations. This was usually rooted in ethnic or racial prejudice against those deemed “lower races” (Social Darwinism). In the US, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act and British Australia passed the White Australia Policy. Both of these limited the number of Asian immigrants, almost completely cutting them of.

How did the civilizing mission of imperialism lead to growing resistance against it?

Western education featured Enlightenment ideas like popular sovereignty (the right to rule oneself) and natural rights. This led them to question the right of imperial states to conquer others’ lands.

Why were some Europeans opposed to imperialism?

Some, like Joseph Conrad, author of Heart of Darkness, criticized its brutality. Others, like economist J.A. Hobson felt it created an unstable market and could harm economics in the long term.

What is a good example of direct resistance within empires?

The Yaa Asantewaa War in West Africa, also known as the War of the Golden Stool saw the Asante Kingdom fighting back against British ignorance in thinking the Asante would accept their leadership if they simply sat on a ceremonial golden stool. Instead, Queen mother Yaa Asantewaa rallied her people to fight and resist the British intrusion. The Industrial weaponry of the British led to a British victory.

What is an example of a people who created a new state at the periphery of a growing imperial state as a form of resistance?

The Cherokee Nation in the United States was forced to relocate from the East Coast to Oklahoma. They arranged their own government and tried to hold on to their culture.

The Zulu Kingdom created a new state at the edge of the growing British South Africa. They successfully resisted British takeovers for a time.

What is an example of rebellions against imperialism that were influenced by religious ideas?

After losing land and cattle due to Europeans and their diseases, the Xhosa Cattle Killing Movement in South Africa was inspired by a belief that if the Xhosa slaughtered their cattle, new healthy cattle would arise and replace them. They also believed that the imperial invaders would be driven away by the ancestral dead. Instead many died from starvation and the British took complete control of the Xhosa territory