Imperialism, Global Encounters, and Industrialization

Vocabulary flashcards covering 19th-century European imperialism, the Industrial Revolution in Britain, East Asian treaties and trade policies, and African resistance and colonization.

King Menelik II

Ruler of Ethiopia during European imperial expansion who modernized parts of the military, acquired weapons through diplomacy and trade, and successfully defended Ethiopia's independence against Italy in 1896.

Battle of Adwa

An 1896 military confrontation in which Ethiopian forces defeated Italy, preserving Ethiopia's independence and making it one of the few African states to avoid European colonization during the Scramble for Africa.

Treaty of Nanjing

An 1842 treaty resulting from China's defeat in the First Opium War that required China to open treaty ports to foreign trade, pay an indemnity, and cede Hong Kong to Britain.

Trade surplus

An economic condition in which a country exports goods worth more than the goods it imports.

Trade deficit

An economic condition in which a country imports goods worth more than the goods it exports.

Open Door Policy

A proposal made by the United States in 1899 and 1900 calling for equal trading access for foreign powers in China and for China's territory to remain formally intact.

Capital

Money or other wealth used to start or expand a business, often invested in factories, machines, mines, and transportation.

Entrepreneurs

People and business owners who organize businesses, invest capital, and take financial risks in order to develop new industries, expand production, and earn a profit.

Imperialism

The extension of a country's power over another territory or people, driven by economic, political, military, nationalist, and cultural motives.

Quinine

A medicine that helped some Europeans survive malaria, aiding European penetration into tropical regions without fully eliminating the hazards of tropical disease.

Direct rule

A system of imperial administration where officials from the controlling country governed a territory themselves.

Indirect rule

A system of imperial governance where a foreign power ruled through local leaders or officials who followed its instructions.

Scramble for Africa

The rapid division, conquest, and partition of African territories by European powers during the late 1800s to secure resources, markets, strategic locations, and political influence.

Berlin Conference

An 1884–1885 meeting where European powers met to establish rules for claiming territory in Africa, held without inviting any African leaders and serving to accelerate the Scramble for Africa.

Congo Free State

A central African territory held as the personal possession of Belgium's King Leopold II from 1885 to 1908, marked by widespread forced labor to extract rubber and extreme violence that resulted in millions of deaths.

King Leopold II

Belgian monarch who gained personal control of the Congo Free State to enrich himself, establishing a regime infamous for forced labor, quotas, and brutal exploitation.

Henry Stanley

An explorer whose expeditions mapped parts of the Congo Basin and who made agreements with local leaders on behalf of King Leopold II, helping establish European control and resource extraction.

Belgian Congo

The colony established in 1908 after international criticism forced King Leopold II to transfer personal control of the Congo Free State to the Belgian government.