10.04 - Imperialism Vocabulary

imperialism

the domination by one country of the political, economic, and/or cultural life of another country or region; another word for colonialism

colonialism

the domination by one country of the political, economic, and/or cultural life of another country or region; another word for imperialism

colonization

the process of dominating another country

Social Darwinism

a theory that was popular in European nations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that argued that people were engaged in a competition or "struggle for survival" where the weakest people and nations would be destroyed and dominated while the strong grew in power and influence

British East India Company

a joint-stock company that was colonized India and other British colonies

Sepoy Rebellion

A revolt in which Indian solders working for the British East India Company rebelled. The rebellion failed and as a result, the British took direct control of India.

Qing Dynasty

Rulers of China who restricted trade with foreigners and lost the Opium Wars to the British

Opium Wars

A series of armed conflicts between China and Great Britain (1839-1842), during which the Chinese objected to the British trading an addictive drug for tea and other goods that were popular in Europe. The British won the war and this led to series of unequal treaties including the Treaty of Nanjing through which the Chinese lost control to imperial countries

Treaty of Nanjing

The first of many unequal treaties that the Chinese were forced to sign with imperial nations. This treaty gave the British possession of Hong Kong, exclusive trading rights with within a "sphere of influence" in China, and extraterritoriality (the ability to follow British laws while in China instead of Chinese ones).

Spheres of Influence

an area in which another country has power over others

extraterritoriality

the state of being exempt from local laws

Example- the British, while in China, could follow their own laws and could not be arrested or punished by the Chinese

unequal treaties

an agreement between two countries that is unfair to one of them

Example- the Chinese were forced to sign unequal treaties with imperial nations from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s as a result of losing armed conflicts

Boxer Rebellion

an armed rebellion in China against imperialism; the rebellion was put down by an international force of soldiers from Great Britain, United States, Australia, India, Germany, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan

Berlin Conference

Meetings of the leaders of European nations, 1884-1885, in which they divided up the continent of Africa between them

Scramble for Africa

the invasion and colonization of African territory by European powers between 1881 and 1914

Cecil John Rhodes

British imperialist, businessman, mining tycoon, and politician in South Africa

White Man's Burden

A poem by Rudyard Kipling that argued that western countries like the United States, Great Britain, and other European nations should colonize others to "civilize" them