AP World History Unit 6: Imperialism and Migration Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the causes, regions, resistance movements, and economic/migration effects of global imperialism as detailed in the Unit 6 reference sheet.

Imperialism

The establishment of overseas empires through military, political, economic, and cultural influence.

Nationalism

A sense of identity and loyalty to a state that frequently drove nations to take over other territories.

Sino-Japanese War

A conflict between Japan and China over Korea; the Japanese victory gave them control of Korea and Taiwan.

Phrenologists

People who studied skull sizes and shapes and used them to claim that Europeans were biologically superior.

Social Darwinism

An adaptation of the theory of evolution by natural selection that used 'survival of the fittest' to justify powerful countries taking over colonies.

White Man’s Burden

A superiority ideology centered on the idea that colonizers were 'helping' the colonized by introducing new languages and political structures.

Suez Canal

A major waterway in Egypt that Britain seized control of in 1882 from the Ottoman Empire to stabilize unrest.

Settler Colony

A type of colony established for the purpose of permanent residence by members of the imperial power, such as the French in Algeria.

Berlin Conference 1884-1885

A meeting of European powers in Germany to divide Africa among themselves; no African representatives were invited.

Boer Wars

Conflicts between the British and Afrikaners in South Africa (1880-1881 and 1899-1902) that resulted in the displacement of millions and the use of concentration camps.

King Leopold II

The Belgian king who personally owned the Congo and exploited it for ivory and rubber through brutal labor conditions.

Abyssinia and Liberia

The only two African countries that remained unclaimed by European powers by 1900.

Sepoys

Indian soldiers recruited into the army of the British East India Company.

Spheres of Influence

Areas in China where European nations carved out exclusive trading rights and access to resources while China kept its own government.

Taiping Rebellion

A failed uprising against the Qing Dynasty that weakened China and made imperialist encroachment easier.

Boxer Rebellion

An anti-imperialist group in China that targeted Chinese Christians and Western missionaries, with secret encouragement from the empress.

French Indochina

The collection of French-controlled territories in Southeast Asia including Cambodia, Laos, and modern-day Vietnam.

Siam

The modern-day Thailand, which remained independent of imperialism by setting up diplomatic relations and modernizing like Japan.

Manifest Destiny

The belief in the United States that it was the country's destiny to spread across the continent and extend overseas.

Monroe Doctrine

A US policy stating that European powers should not interfere in the affairs of countries in the Western Hemisphere.

The Great Game

The competition between the British and Russian Empires for dominance in Afghanistan.

Ghost Dance

A movement in the northwestern US (c. 1869) involving rituals meant to bring back the dead and drive out white settlers.

Tupac Amaru II

A descendant of the last Inca ruler who led a revolt against Spain in southern Peru.

Indian Rebellion of 1857

Also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, a violent uprising triggered by the use of rifle cartridges greased with cow and pig fat.

Indian National Congress

A forum established by British-educated Indians to voice grievances, which eventually called for Indian self-rule.

Xhosa Cattle Killing Movement

A resistance movement in South Africa where people destroyed crops and cattle hoping spirits would remove the British, resulting in a famine.

Monocultures

The practice of growing only one type of crop, which often led to environmental damage like soil erosion.

Cash Crops

Agricultural products grown for commercial value rather than local use, such as tea, cotton, sugar, and rubber.

Guano

Bat or seabird excrement exported from locations like Peru to be used as a high-quality fertilizer.

De Beers

A company led by Cecil Rhodes that owned over 90% of the world's diamond production.

Economic Imperialism

A situation where foreign business interests exert great power or influence beyond their borders for profit.

Banana Republics

Small, unstable states in Central America or the Caribbean whose economies were dependent on a limited resource like bananas or minerals.

Indentured Servitude

A labor system where people worked for a set number of years to pay for transportation or debts.

Penal Colony

A settlement established for the purpose of housing convicts, such as British Australia or French Devil's Island.

Push Factors

Reasons that cause people to leave their own country, such as poverty, famine, or religious oppression.

Pull Factors

Reasons that attract people to a specific new country, such as freedom of religion or economic opportunity.

Ethnic Enclaves

Clusters or neighborhoods created by people from the same foreign country within a receiving society.

Chinese Exclusion Act

An 1882 US law that banned further Chinese immigration; it was not repealed until 1943.

White Australia Policy

An Australian policy intended to limit non-British immigration, which remained in effect until the mid-1970s.

Diaspora

The spread of a culture through the movement of immigrants into various countries.