AP World History: Responses to Imperialism

Monocultures

The practice of growing a single crop, plant, or organism over a large area.

Cassava

A starchy, tuberous root vegetable and a major staple food in tropical regions worldwide. (Yuca)

Tupac Amaru II

Indigenous cacique (hereditary chief) who led a large-scale Andean rebellion against Spanish colonial rule in Peru.

Prominent West African Muslim cleric, military strategist, and the founder of the Wassoulou Empire.

Yaa Asantewaa War

Also known as the War of the Golden Stool, was the fifth and final Anglo-Ashanti war, fought from March to September 1900 between the Ashanti Empire (in present-day Ghana) and British colonial forces.

Sepoy Rebellion

A major, albeit unsuccessful, uprising against the rule of the British East India Company in India.

Indian National Congress

Founded in 1885 during the British Raj and evolved from a moderate reform group into the principal force behind the Indian independence movement, playing a crucial role in dismantling British imperialism. 

Sokoto Caliphate

A large and influential Sunni Muslim empire in West Africa.

Usman dan Fodio

Prominent Fulani Islamic scholar, reformer, and revolutionary leader who founded the Sokoto Caliphate in what is now northern Nigeria.

Cherokee Nation

Indigenous sovereignty, resistance to imperialism, forced removal (Trail of Tears), and adaptation.

Trail of Tears

US government's forced relocation (1830s-40s) of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole) from the Southeast to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), under the Indian Removal Act, causing immense suffering, disease, and thousands of deaths due to harsh conditions, highlighting US expansionism and brutal treatment of Native Americans, often termed ethnic cleansing.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local statutes in the American South (late 1800s-mid 1960s) enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchising Black Americans through "separate but equal" facilities (schools, transport, etc.) and restrictive voting practices (poll taxes, literacy tests), creating a systemic racial hierarchy and social control, legitimized by Plessy v. Ferguson, until dismantled by the Civil Rights Movement.

Zulu Kingdom

The powerful Southern African state founded by Shaka Zulu in the early 1800s.

Anglo-Zulu War

A crucial 19th-century conflict showing indigenous resistance to European imperialism, where the powerful Zulu Kingdom fought the invading British Empire, suffering major defeats (like Isandlwana) but showcasing fierce tactics, ultimately leading to the dismantling of Zulu sovereignty and integration into British South Africa, highlighting themes of colonial ambition, military clashes, and the impact on African states. 

Ghost Dance

A late 19th-century Native American spiritual movement, founded by Wovoka, that involved ritual dances promising the return of ancestors, the disappearance of white settlers, and the restoration of traditional life, serving as a powerful form of resistance and cultural survival against U.S. imperialism and oppression, which tragically culminated in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.

Xhosa Cattle-Killing Movement

A devastating, anti-colonial millenarian event in South Africa where Xhosa people, spurred by the prophetess Nongqawuse, slaughtered their cattle and destroyed crops, believing it would summon ancestors to drive out British colonists and restore their land, but instead led to mass famine, starvation (80,000 deaths), and weakened Xhosa resistance, paving the way for greater British control.

Pan Africanism

A political and cultural movement advocating for the unity, solidarity, and self-determination of all people of African descent.

Mahdist Wars

A major anti-imperialist Islamic revolt in Sudan led by Muhammad Ahmad (the self-proclaimed Mahdi) against Egyptian and British colonial rule.

Maori

Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.

Maji Maji Rebellion

A significant armed uprising in German East Africa (modern Tanzania) against oppressive German colonial rule.

Empress Cixi

Ruler of China's Qing Dynasty for nearly 50 years, a dominant and controversial figure known for her resistance to radical change, support for some modernization (like military/tech), backing the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion, and eventually initiating significant late-Qing reforms (education, constitution) to save the dynasty, ultimately failing and paving the way for the 1911 revolution.

100 Days Reform

A failed, brief Chinese political movement led by the Guangxu Emperor and reformers like Kang Youwei to modernize China's government, education, military, and economy in response to Western imperialism and internal issues after the Sino-Japanese War.

Taiping Rebellion

A massive civil war in China, led by self-proclaimed prophet Hong Xiuquan, against the ruling Qing Dynasty, aiming to establish a "Heavenly Kingdom" based on radical Christian-influenced ideals of equality, land reform, and social justice.

Hong Xiuquan

Visionary leader of the massive Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) in China, claiming to be Jesus Christ's younger brother, who sought to overthrow the ruling Qing Dynasty and establish a utopian "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace.”

Boxer Rebellion

An anti-foreign, anti-colonial uprising in China by the "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" (Boxers), a secret martial arts group, who sought to expel foreign influence (Western powers, missionaries, Christians) and restore Chinese sovereignty, leading to sieges of foreign areas, intervention by an Eight-Nation Alliance, and the harsh Boxer Protocol, highlighting late-Qing decline and rising Chinese nationalism.

Tongzhi Restoration

Mid-19th century effort by the Qing dynasty to stabilize and revitalize the imperial system after devastating internal rebellions and defeats by Western powers in the Opium Wars.

Aboriginal

The original, Indigenous peoples of a region, most prominently the diverse, ancient cultures of mainland Australia, known for their deep spiritual connection to the land and distinct traditions.