modern history :c

obligatory foreword: super informal. also before someone says "ugh you missed something" this is for me,,, these are my flashcards formatted in my silly little way, so go make your own if im missing something (wow that was mean. sorry)

social darwinism

a theory based off the findings of charles darwin’s 1859 publication On the Origin of Species, which proposed the theory of natural evolution. countries applied this concept to race and culture, which set down the roots of ethnocentric ideology in imperialism. (the ideology is basically just 1. groups are always in conflict. 2. this conflict is resolved by a nation dominating)

QUOTE: Rudyard Kipling, 1899

“take the white man’s burden // send for the best ye breed // go bind your sons to exile // to serve your captives needs”

the triangular atlantic trade

trade system set up by british empire


1. america to europe → tobacco, sugar, cotton (raw materials)
2. europe to africa → trinkets and arms
3. africa to america → slaves (in return for europes supplies)

tributary states

nominally independent states that acknowledge their mother country and pay tribute 2 them via fees & goods

what were the key practises of mercantalism?

1. goods could only be exported to the mother country
2. don’t create competition with your mother country
3. trade between colonies needs to be carried out by ships belonging to the mother country
4. buy goods only from the mother country

the boston tea party

americans got fed up with tariffs on tea (they were paying taxes without the proper protection a citizen of britain would get). america was already fed up w restrictions of mercantilist system. “no taxation without representation”. 342 chests of tea were thrown into the Boston Harbour - they would rather just let it all go into the sea than pay the stupid custom duties. a contributing factor to americas independence in 1783, i guess

lassiez-faire

coined by our capitalist dad adam smith - basically have a free market w minimal gov interference. each man for himself! (the theory basically is: buy raw materials for cheapest price → sell goods where you can make $$$ the most)

QUOTE: Otto von Bismarck, 1868

“All the advantages claimed for the mother country are the most part illusions. England is abandoning her colonial policy, she finds it too costly”

britain’s imperialism downfall

* america kind of ditched them in 1783 lol
* key thinkers of the nation such as joseph hume + richard cobden argued colonies were liabilities

QUOTE: Joseph Hume, 1833

“With an open trade in corn and a fixed duty we should have every man in the country fully fed and happy, instead of our present situation in which so much distress exists - distress of our own producing.”

investment motive

expanding wealth → “oh god we can’t have all our eggs in one basket” → lets go invest in other countries. high risk, high reward. think 19th century stocks (china was… a very popular stock)

raw materials

“hey can we focus on creating good products”

“uh yeah sure but like who will make our raw materials”

“now… my buddy have you heard of imperialism”

QUOTE: PT Moon, 1926

“there is one reason why 197’ million frances worth of rubber, palm nuts and palm oil, copal and copper from belgian congo is exported to belguim, and handled by belgian merchants, whereas only 15 million goes to britain, 17 million to all of america, and 2/5ths of a million to france. the reason is that belguim owns congo. and the belguim importers are aware of this fact, as are their competitors in other countries”

markets motive

1. stable demand // technological changes → more goods → domestic economy could only buy so much → "we have an excess now lets go rip off people internationally” (yeah please do, if you don’t sell them then growing stockpiles → unemployment → economic depression)
2. protectionism // high import fees → lack of international markets
3. a lack of wealth distribution in europe // “you know what, you guys can hoard wealth up there, but the middle class? you can’t even afford the products we make lol lets go rip off some other people instead”. made imperial markets a necessity bc nationally, your working class couldn’t even participate in the market

QUOTE: jules ferry, 1881

“nations become great only by activity. a great country has the duty of extending, wherever it can carry them. its language, its arms, its flag, its genius”

nationalistic motive

propaganda & pride (& prejudice, i guess) → lets go establish our place in the world!

QUOTE: Heinrich bon Treitschke, 1879

“every virile people has established colonial power. all great nations in the fullness of their strength have desired to set their mark upon barbarian lands and those who fail to participate in this great rivalry will play a pitiable role in the time to come”

QUOTE: the daily mail, 1897

“To us, and not to others, a certain definite duty has been assigned, to carry light AND CIVILISATION to the darkest places of the world, to give to thronging millions who would otherwise never know peace and security the first conditions of human advance. To fill the wide waste places with the children of Britain and let the sound of the English tongue and the pure life of English homes give of the future of these immense regions its hue and shape - this is the task in which the past has devolved upon us”

QUOTE: niall ferguson, 2003

“the victorians had elevated aspirations. they dreamt not just of ruling the world, of redeeming it. it was no longer enough for them to exploit other races, now the aim became to improve them. native peoples … cultures - superstitus, backward heathen - would have to go.”