Territorial Division of the World and Political Systems in the Early 20th Century

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the territorial partitioning of Africa and Asia, the political institutions of European nations, and the early 20th-century national liberation movements known as the Awakening of Asia.

Imperialist Interests in Asia and Africa

The dual economic incentives driving imperialist expansion in Asia and Africa: securing cheap sources of raw materials and opening new consumer commodity markets.

African Colonization Rate (1880s vs. 1900)

In the 1880s, approximately 90% of Africa remained uncolonized; by 1900, European imperial powers had partitioned virtually the entire continent.

British African Possessions

The African territories colonized by Great Britain by the early 20th century, comprising Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and Rhodesia.

French African Possessions

The colonial territories secured by France, encompassing Tunisia, West Africa, Central/South Africa, and Madagascar.

German African Possessions

The colonial protectorates held by the German Empire in Africa, including East Africa, South-West Africa, Togo, and Cameroon.

Italian African Possessions

The regions of the African continent brought under Italian colonial rule: Libya and Somalia.

Belgian Colonial Territory

The African domain acquired and controlled by Belgium: the Congo.

Parliamentarism

A system of state governance defined by a distinct separation between legislative and executive institutions, reflecting established democratic principles within a nation.

Major Political Ideologies of the Early 20th Century

The four widespread political currents formed around social welfare, state intervention, and the labor-capital struggle: Conservatism, Liberalism, Socialism, and Marxism.

Pacifism

A social, peace-oriented movement dedicated to opposing war and international military violence.

Political Structure of Great Britain (Early 20th Century)

A parliamentary constitutional monarchy dominated by a two-party system made up of the Liberals and the Conservatives.

Political Structure of France (Early 20th Century)

A republican system where the head of state was elected jointly by the chambers of parliament.

Reichstag

The supreme representative body within Germany's bicameral parliament, where governing authority remained shared with the emperor.

Political Structure of Italy (Early 20th Century)

A bourgeois monarchy in which legislative power was officially shared between the king and the parliament.

Struggle for the Re-division of the World

The diplomatic and military contest among major imperial powers triggered after 1900 once the initial territorial division of the globe had been completed.

Awakening of Asia

The historical turning point in the early 20th century when Asian populations rejected passive colonial subjugation and launched active anti-colonial resistance.

Drivers of Eastern Political Change

The three key catalysts of reform in the East: rising anti-colonial struggles, the awakening of national consciousness, and the political culture transmitted by the imperial metropoles.

Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)

A military clash between the Russian and Japanese empires that catalyzed and radicalized national liberation movements across the East.

Russian Revolution (1905–1907)

The first mass revolutionary uprising in the Russian Empire that stimulated revolutionary and constitutional sentiments throughout neighboring Eastern states.

Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1908)

A major anti-absolutist constitutional upheaval in Iran that was part of the early 20th-century wave of Eastern national awakening.

Young Turk Revolution (1908–1909)

A political revolution in the Ottoman Empire carried out by the Young Turks to reinstate the constitution and curb monarchical absolutism.

Xinhai Revolution (1911–1913)

The revolution in China that brought about the downfall of the Qing imperial dynasty and established a republican government.