AP World History Vocabulary: Unit 6

Imperialism

the policy or practice of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force

Nationalism

a nation is formed by a group of people with a common identity, language, history, and set of customs

Social Darwinism

the idea that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better

East India Company

a joint stock company that controlled most of India during the period of imperialism

Dutch East India Company

trading company founded in the Dutch Republic to protect the state's trade in the Indian Ocean and to assist in the Dutch war of independence from Spain

Berlin Conference

a meeting of European powers to provide for the orderly colonization of Africa

Treaty of Waitangi

the treaty signed by the British and Maori that gave Britain control over New Zealand and guaranteed the rights of the of the original Maori inhabitants would be protected by the British

Scramble for Africa

the competing efforts of Europeans to colonize Africa

Monroe Doctrine

warned European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere

Boer Wars

wars between Britain and Afrikaners in South Africa over control of land

Seven Years’ War

a conflict between France and Great Britain over North American land

Taiping Rebellion

failed civil servant applicant Hong Xiuquan (claimed to be the brother of Jesus Christ) and starving peasants, workers, and miners attempted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty (civil war)

Boxer Rebellion

a Chinese secret society that embarked on a violent campaign to drive all foreigners from China

Spanish-American War

conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America

Corvee laborer

unpaid workers who were forced to work as a form of taxation, typically lasting for limited periods of time

Afrikaners

descendants of 17th-century Dutch settlers

Indian Rebellion of 1857

also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, a significant uprising against British rule in India

Philippine Revolution

Filipino independence struggle that exposed the weakness of Spanish administration but failed to evict Spaniards from the islands

Philippine-American War

an armed conflict between the United States and Filipino revolutionaries following the Spanish-American War

Maori Wars

a series of wars that took place between the New Zealand government and the native Maori people

Xhosa Cattle Killing movement

the African Xhosa tribe killed their cattle and destroyed their crops so the gods would remove the invaders from their lands

Anglo-Zulu War

a conflict between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom

Indian National Congress

a movement and political party that demanded greater Indian participation in government

Mahdi

an Islamic figure who is prophesied to return near the end of the world to defeat injustice and establish a global Islamic kingdom; “divine guidance”

Pan-Africanism

various movements in Africa that had the common goal of the unity of Africans and the elimination of colonialism and white supremacy from the continent

Sepoys

infantry soldiers from the Indian subcontinent who fought for the British colonial army

Raj

the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent

Apartheid

a legally enforced policy of racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa that aimed to maintain white minority rule

Treaty of Nanking

treaty that ended the first Opium War

Opium War

fought between Britain and China, triggered by British outcry against China's confiscation of British opium

Banana republics

a small, poor, politically unstable country that is weak because of an excessive reliance on one crop and foreign funding

Indentured servants

individuals who agreed to work for a specified period in exchange for passage to a new land and basic necessities during their servitude

Contract laborers

a system where individuals agree to work for a specific period under a set of conditions in exchange for compensation

Diaspora

occurs when a community of people is dispersed or scattered from their native territory and settles in another geographic location

Great Famine

a catastrophic period in Ireland caused by a devastating potato blight that led to mass starvation, disease, and immigration

Penal colony

a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location

Colonization Society

aimed to export Japan’s surplus population and commercial goods

Mohandas Gandhi

leader of the Indian Independence Movement known for a strategy of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience

Chinese Exclusion Act

a Chinese immigration act passed by the United States Congress that banned all Chinese immigration into the United States, initially limited to a 10 year period

Chinese Immigration Regulation and Restriction Act

an attempt to restrict the number of Chinese immigrants from entering the colony of New South Wales in Australia

White Australia policy

to limit non-white (particularly Asian) immigration to Australia, to help keep Australia “all white”

White-collar

individuals employed in office environments

Blue-collar

workers who perform manual labor or skilled trades

Ethnic enclaves

a population with its own ethnic or national identity that is concentrated in a community within another nation

Natal Indian Congress

an organization founded in South Africa to represent the interests of Indian immigrants and promote their rights

Kangani system

a form of labor recruitment where a foreman recruited laborers from their extended family (entire families were recruited)

Chinatowns

urban neighborhoods predominantly inhabited by Chinese immigrants and their descendants