Advanced Modern World History - Unit 3: Modern World (1850-2000)

Imperialism

The economic, and/or political, domination of a weaker nation by an economically, and/or politically, stronger nation. Mainly carried out by European states in Asia and Africa.

Colony

A form of imperial control; a region that was considered to be an extension of its ruling state. It was controlled by and run for the benefit of its mother country, and couldn’t trade with any other European nations.

Protectorate

A form of imperial control; had less direct rule from the mother country than a colony along with its own government, although some aspects of it were controlled.

Sphere of Influence

A form of indirect imperial control; where one European state would control another state economically while pretending to respect their independence. Examples of this include exclusive investment rights or trading privileges.

Industrialization

Transition to machine-based manufacturing that began in Great Britain during the 18th century and became the main motivator for Imperialism during the 19th century due to the rising need for raw materials and new markets to purchase manufactured goods.

Nationalism

A sense of pride in your country/group of people; the 2nd biggest motivator for imperialism because having imperial possessions elevated the prestige of your nation in the eyes of your citizens and the eyes of other nations.

International Darwinism

Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest applied to human society as the main justification for imperialism; if you don’t take the weak countries someone else will take them and eventually become strong enough to take you over.

Ethnocentrism Support

Second most prevalent yet shadier justification for imperialism; interacting and taking advantage of the weaker country was actually “uplifting” them because it’s replacing their “inferior” culture with the “superior” one.

Industrialists

Primary supporters of imperialism because they needed cheap resources and new markets in order to keep their factories running.

Pro-Imperialist Government

Supported imperialism because many of its officials owed their positions to the financial support of Industrialists, and because it produced these grand Romantic stories that distracted the miserable factory workers from the fact that they were being exploited as well.

Naval Leaders

Supported imperialism because it meant the construction of military bases across the world that could boost its power in order to spread further across the world.

Missionaries

The cloak that ethnocentrism hid behind; used their sermons to support imperialists powers while also suppressing the cultures of the weaker powers.

Press

Institution that did the government’s dirty work of popularizing imperialist exploits

Rudyard Kipling

English poet who wrote “White Man’s Burden,” a shining example of the ethnocentrism used to justify imperialism and the belief that by wiping out other people’s “inferior” cultures they were “saving them”

Sepoy Mutiny

A rebellion against the Sepoys, native Indian troops in the British army in India. While the underlying cause was the tension amongst Indian citizens as a result of years of attempts by British missionaries to westernize them, the spark that led to the uprising was the introduction of a new type of rifle cartridge. The cartridge was rumored to have been greased with either beef or pork fat, which was a huge religious issue for Muslims and Hindus because one had to bite off the end of the bullet before placing it in the rifle, and consuming pork and beef is a big religious no-no for Muslim and Hindu culture respectively. The mutiny led to the death of many British women and children, and was eventually put down due to lack of organization, though not without many deaths. As a result, the East India Company was disbanded and India was ruled directly by Britain.

Extraterritoriality

The application of one country’s laws in another country. This concept was frequently utilized throughout the Age of Imperialism, like the British tax laws being applied to the American colonies or keeping foreign colony heads free from the jurisdiction of the country they were currently governing.

Treaty of Portsmouth (1906)

Treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese war and was mediated by US President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 after Russia had accepted the offer after suffering severe losses in 1905. This event marked both the United States and Japan as emerging powers in the Imperialism Era. America gained a precedent for serving as a mediator in international-scale events, and Japan successfully resisted Russia’s imperialist agenda, allowing it to later become an imperial power rather than a colony.

Royal Geographical Society

Group that was often sponsored by the British government to support European expeditions into Africa. They contributed to the British discovery of several African landmarks, including the source of the Nile River. These discoveries in Africa were one of the causes of the African Scramble due to the National Darwinist mindset many nations held during the time period.

Boers

Dutch inhabitants of the British colony in the Cape of Good Hope that had come there when the colony was still under Dutch rule. After Britain abolished slavery in 1834, it caused them to migrate inland in the Great Trek, forming two independent states: the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The British acknowledged their independence until diamonds and gold were discovered in those states. This led to a War from 1899 to 1902, ending in the British successfully acquiring the two states.

Battle of Adowa (1896)

A battle between Italy and Ethiopia that resulted in Italy’s defeat. It’s such a notable battle because it was the only significant defeat a European power had suffered as the result of a native force during the Age of Imperialism. The newly formed Italy had gone after Ethiopia out of a desire to become a big imperial power, but Menelik III, the Ethiopian king, had managed to drive them back from his country with the use of western technology.

Qing Dynasty

Opium

Britain’s solution to cracking the Chinese trade industry. The introduction of this commodity to Chinese markets caused widespread addiction and allowed for the carving up of China

1st Opium War

2nd Opium War

Sino Japanese War

Treaty of Shimonoseki

Open Door Policy

Boxer Rebellion

Chiang Kai Shek

Leader of the Chinese nationalists

Zedong

Leader of the Chinese communists; believed the West wouldn’t be any help and that they would have to fight off Japan by themselves, became President of the People’s Republic of China

Totalitarianism

Chinese Nationalists

Post WWI Chinese political group that believed

Chinese Communists