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Key Historical Concepts and Terms

Colonialism and Imperialisms

  • Scramble for Africa

    • Definition: The rapid takeover and colonization of African territory by European nations in the late 1800s.

    • Significance: Marked a height of European imperial ambition.

  • Berlin Conference

    • Year: 1884-1885.

    • Description: A meeting of European powers that set rules for dividing Africa among themselves.

  • Colonization Society

    • Definition: A Japanese organization formed to promote overseas settlement and expansions.

  • Settler Colony

    • Definition: A type of colony where people from the imperial country move permanently, take over land and push out the indigenous population.

Treaties and Policies

  • Treaty of Waitangi

    • Year: 1840.

    • Description: An agreement between Britain and the Māori that established British authority in New Zealand.

  • Monroe Doctrine

    • Year: 1823.

    • Definition: A United States policy stating that European nations should not interfere in the western hemisphere.

  • Roosevelt Corollary

    • Year: 1904.

    • Definition: An extension of the Monroe Doctrine allowing the United States to intervene in Latin American countries.

Wars and Conflicts

  • Boer Wars

    • Description: Conflicts between the British and Dutch settlers (Boers) in South Africa over control of land and resources.

  • Spanish American War

    • Year: 1898.

    • Description: A conflict in which the United States gained territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

  • Taiping Rebellion

    • Description: A large rebellion in China against the Qing dynasty that caused massive destruction.

  • Indian Rebellion of 1857

    • Description: Major revolt by sepoys against British rule after conflict over rifle cartridges; led to direct British governance (British Raj).

Key Historical Figures

  • King Leopold II

    • Title: King of Belgium.

    • Description: Took control of the Congo and used it to generate profit through brutal forced labor.

  • Cixi

    • Title: Empress Dowager of China.

    • Description: Held significant power during late Qing dynasty, supported conservative policies and backed the Boxer Rebellion.

  • Tupac Amaru II

    • Description: Indigenous leader in Peru who led a revolt against Spanish rule in 1780; claimed Inca ancestry, captured, and executed.

Economic Exploitation and Systems

  • Corvee Labor

    • Definition: A system of forced, unpaid labor required by a government or ruler.

  • Cash Crop

    • Definition: A crop grown primarily to sell for profit instead of local food use.

  • Economic Imperialism

    • Definition: When a foreign business entity holds control and influence over the economy of a different territory.

  • Banana Republics

    • Definition: Small Latin American countries controlled economically by foreign countries.

Resistance Movements

  • Yaa Asantewaa

    • Title: Asante Queen Mother.

    • Description: Led resistance against British attempts to seize the Golden Stool.

  • Muhammad Ahmad (the Mahdi)

    • Title: Religious leader in Sudan.

    • Description: Led a revolt against Egyptian and later British control in the 1880s.

  • Indochina

    • Description: French colony in Southeast Asia including Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, faced resistance movements.

Important Concepts Related to Colonization

  • Spheres of Influence

    • Definition: Areas in China where foreign countries had trading rights and economic control.

  • Concentration Camps

    • Definition: Camps where civilians were detained under harsh conditions, used during conflicts such as the Boer Wars.

  • Penal Colony

    • Definition: A colony where prisoners are sent to live and serve their sentences (e.g., Australia).

Geographic & Cultural Notes

  • Abyssinia

    • Description: The former name of Ethiopia, one of the few African nations maintaining independence during European imperialism.

  • Maori

    • Definition: Indigenous people of New Zealand.

  • Aboriginal

    • Description: Indigenous people of Australia.

Trade and Economic Factors

  • East India Company

    • Definition: A British trading company that gradually took political control of India, initially focused on spices but later heavily involved in cotton and opium trade.

  • Dutch East India Company

    • Definition: A powerful Dutch trading company that controlled trade and territory in Southeast Asia, particularly the Spice Islands.

  • Culture System

    • Description: A Dutch system in Indonesia that forced farmers to grow cash crops or fulfill unpaid labor demands.

Miscellaneous Factors

  • Quinine

    • Definition: A medicine used to treat malaria that allowed Europeans to survive in tropical regions.

  • Suez Canal

    • Description: A canal in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, vital for trade between Europe and Asia.