AP Euro Topic: 7.6

Age of Imperialism

Last quarter of the 19th century, an age where Europeans expanded into Asia and Africa

balance of trade

the value of a countries exports is greater than value of imports

"The White Man's Burden"

idea, put forth in a poem, that Europeans had an obligation to help less developed regions by colonizing them--even though it was a struggle for the Europeans to do so.

Mission Civilisatrice

A French term which translates as "civilizing mission", is a rationale Europeans used to "civilize" indigenous people by forcing adoption of Western ideals/beliefs.

minie ball

new type of bullet invented in 19th c. with greater accuracy and range increasing deaths in battle.

breech loading rifle

A firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into the rear of the gun, allowing faster reloading than a musket.

machine gun

An automatic gun that fires bullets in rapid succession for as long as the trigger is pressed. Up to 500 rounds/minute.

Louis Pasteur

Formulated germ theory. Began a method of heating milk to kill bacteria

Joseph Lister

discovered how antiseptics prevented infection in hospitals

germ theory

the theory that infectious diseases are caused by certain microbes and can be controlled/ stopped with proper hygiene.

antiseptic

clean, sterile. cleanliness that helped to keep patients healthy in hospitals.

anesthesia

gasses that help to reduce the trauma of surgery by putting the patient to sleep.

malaria

A disease caused by mosquitoes implanting parasites in the blood.

quinine

A drug, taken from the bark of a tree in South America, that prevented Malaria and enabled Europeans to go to the interior of Africa.

telegraph

A device that used electrical signals to send messages quickly over long distances, enabled communication across an empire.

Pasteurization

A process of heating food to a temperature that is high enough to kill most harmful bacteria without changing the taste of the food.