Ch 1.1 - Why was imperialism a significant force for late 19th-century Europe?

imperialism

the policy of extending a nation's power by gaining political and economic control over more territory. This is sometimes referred to as colonialism and the territories taken under control are known as colonies.

Mercantilism

an economic policy based on the belief that there was only a limited amount of wealth in the world. European nations aimed to increase their share of that wealth at the expense of their rivals, a situation that encouraged imperialism and led to frequent wars.

tariffs

taxes placed on imported goods to protect the home economy

Entrepreneur

people who invest their money (known as capital) in business ventures. They are prepared to take this financial risk in hope of making large profits.

"The Long Depression"

a period of price deflation that lasted from 1873 to 1896. As a result of rapid industrialization , the production of goods was rapidly outstripping demand.

deflation

falling prices caused by a drop in demand. This leads to falling wages and unemployment, which in turn, further reduces demand as less people can afford to buy goods.

Monopoly

a market structure characterized by a single seller facing no competition

New Imperialism

the period of intensive colonization by the European powers, Japan, and the USA roughly in the period 1890 to 1914

nationalism

a sense of belonging to a nation and supporting its interests above those of other nations. The belief that your country is superior ethnically, culturally, politically, and historically to all other countries.

free trade

trade between nations unimpeded by tariffs

Geographic scope of New Imperialism

was largely focused on Africa and Asia

The Treaty of Berlin (1885)

effectively laid out the rules by which European nations should carry out their plans for expansion in Africa, a clear attempt to avoid possible conflict

New Imperial Countries

Old imperialism was carried out by the European powers

"White Man's Grave"

Africa was known as this because of the dangers of diseases such as malaria

Quinine

an anti malaria drug

maxim gun

the first machine gun invented in 1883

The "3 C's"

Commerce, Christianity, and Civilization

Liberia and Ethiopia

The only two African nations to remain free of European control during the period of imperialism.

David Livingstone

a Scottish missionary and explorer who influenced Western attitudes toward Africa, was the first to cross the African continent, he discovered Lake Nyasa and the Zambezi

Henry Morton Stanley

British American explorer of Africa, famous for his expeditions in search of Dr. David Livingstone. He helped King Leopold II establish the Congo Free State.

Britain

Concerned with protecting its vital Indian Ocean trading routes took South Africa and Egypt; took most of East Africa, had the second largest colonial holding in Africa

France

Controlled most of the west and north west of Africa; had the largest African empire

khedive

the title used by the governor and ruler of Egypt adn the Sudan

The Fashoda Incident

Britain and France met in the Sudan, both claiming the territory for themselves. To prevent war a compromise was reached; France recognized British control of Egypt and Sudan, while Britain recognized French presence in Morocco

Belgium

Was determined to increase its wealth; claimed the enormous Congo basin

KIng Leopold II

King of Belgium, financed the colonization of the Congo Free State which he exploited in order to make money from ivory and rubber. Regime was characterized by cruelty towards the natives and was eventually forced to give up control to the Belgian government

The International African Association (IAA)

Organization whose aim was to suppress the slave trade and open up central Africa to international commerce

Pierre Brazza

A French explorer of Italian extraction, secretly was trying to annex the lower Congo for France, would eventually fail

Portugal

Determined not to be left behind; reasserted its long established claims to Angola and Mozambique

Germany

Did not enter the "scramble" until 1881 when businessmen and industrialists forced the government to change its anti imperialism policy; took territory that was more trouble than it was worth

Otto von Bismarck

Made a reputation for himself as an extreme counter revolutionary. Was appointed Prussian ambassador to the German Confederation. Became Prime Minister of Prussia in 1862. Credited with uniting Germany

counter revolutionary

person who opposes a revolution and wants to reverse its results

Reich

Empire, There were three German Empires 1) The Holy Roman Empire (962 to 1806) 2) The Second Reich (1871 to 1918) 3) The Third Reich (1933 to 1945)

El Dorado

Spanish for a fabulously wealthy city or state, Germans were convinced this was Africa

Benjamin Disraeli

Conservative Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1868 and 1874 to 80. He was an ardent imperialist who believed that patriotism and nationalism could overcome class divisions

social imperialism

A policy aimed at uniting all social classes behind plans for creating and expanding an empire.

Cecil Rhodes

British businessman and Prime Minister of Cape Colony, 1890 to 96, and founder of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia)

Condominium

joint control of a territory by two states, Angelo Egyption was formed in Sudan

Sir George Goldie

Founder of the Royal Niger Company to advance British interests on the Lower Niger and Benue Rivers

British South African Company

Formed by Cecil Rhodes from the amalgamation of two companies: the Central Search association and the Exploring Company Ltd.

The Boer War (1899 1902)

Fought between the two Boer states of Transvaal and the Orange Free State and the British Empire

Strategic aims

aims intended to gain military or economic security for a state

Wahabbist

referring to a fundamentalist Islamic reform movement founded by Muhammad Ibn Abd al Wahhab

Mahdi

Arabic word meaning the redeemer of Islam. The Sudanese sheik, Muhammad Ahmad claimed to be the Mahdi

General Gordon

British general and Governor General of the Sudan

power vacuum

territories left undominated by another state after the withdrawal or collapse of the original ruling power

Lord Salisbury

Conservative leader and three times British Prime Minister

General Lord Kitchener

Defeated the Mahdi in the Sudan and played a key role in the Boer War.

J.A. Hobson

An English economist, socialist, and journalist that was strongly against imperialism; he saw imperialism as an instigator of international conflict and said that capitalism could flourish without its expansion to international markets

V.I. Lenin

Leader of the Russian Bolshevik Party from 1903. Was influenced by Hobson

Africa and the Victorians by Robinson and Gallagher

Put forward the view that the scramble for Africa was caused by the dual crises in Egypt and South Africa

Benefits of the Scramble for Africa

Developed states with administration and government systems, Provided education for the native inhabitants, Created new systems of transport and communications, Engineered water and sanitation systems, and provided medical care and hospitals, Introduced more efficient methods of farming and new, more productive crops

Negative of the Scramble for Africa

Africa was randomly partitioned according to the needs and wishes of the Europeans, Many African leaders were killed or sent into exile, Traditional African cultures were undermined as the Europeans introduced Western, style education, clothes, buildings, and religion, Introduction of money completely changed the African economy, Many Africans lost land to Europeans and had to take jobs as cheap labor, Large scale exploitation of African resources, Alarming levels of exploitation of people and inhumanity, African resistance often led harsh retribution

genocide

the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group

Charles Darwin

An English geologist and biologist, who in his on Origin of Species, argued that the evolution of life was the result of natural selection or the survival of the fittest

philanthropy

the desire to help humanity

anthropologist

someone who studies human beings and their societies, customs, and beliefs

concentration camp scandal

in the final stages of the Boer War (1899 to 1902), in order to defeat the guerilla tactics of the Boers, the British relocated the civilian population in concentration camps where a large proportion died of disease.

jingoism

extreme patriotism supporting an aggressive foreign policy

patriotism

love for and pride in your country, a less extreme form of nationalism

Waterloo

The site of Napoleon's defeat by British and Prussian armies in 1815, which ended his last bid for power

Sedan

the location of the traumatic defeat of the French by the Prussians in September 1870

Paul Deroulede

French politician and founder of the League of Patriots, argued that France's attention would better be concentrated in Europe on regaining from Germany the lost provinces of Alsace and Lorraine

elite

the ruling class

pressure groups

associations formed to promote a particular interest by influencing government policy

Jules Ferry

French politician and Prime Minister and strong supporter of French colonial expansion

Max Weber

An eminent German socialist and philosopher,

anarchist

a supporter of anarchism, a political theory advocating small self

ideology

a system and set of ideas and theories

Pan German League

a German political society that believed that Germany should extend its frontiers to include all Germans in Poland, Switzerland, and Austria

Navy League

a German pressure group which agitated for a large German navy

racism

belief in the superiority of one race over another, based on prejudice and leading to discrimination

"The Dark Continent"

Nickname given to Africa because of the mystery surrounding the continent

White Man's Burden

Poem by Rudyard Kipling describing the white man's supposed duty to civilize the Africans

assimilation

the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another