modern world history midterm study guide

imperialism

  • what is imperialism? what sparked the growth of imperialism in the late 1800s?
    • imperialism: the act of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
    • the growth of imperialism was sparked by the industrial revolution. the europeans needed materials and labor for their new machines and thought the best way to do that was to take control of other countries.
  • motives for imperialism: economic? political? geopolitical? cultural?
    • economic: effective tools, raw materials
    • political: expansion of territory, exercising military forces, distraction from domestic tension, national pride
    • geopolitical: sea ports needed for fast transportation of goods and military bases
    • cultural: the spread of christianity, the need to “civilize” others “below” them, white man’s burden
  • how did europeans “justify” imperialism?
    • their responsibility as the “superior race'“ to “civilize” and christianize people different from them
    • white man’s burden
    • social darwinism: “survival of the fittest,” the idea that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better
  • white man’s burden
    • it’s the duty of white people to “develop” and “civilize” people of races and religions that differ from their own (non-white people, non-christians)
  • what advantages did imperialists have that helped them colonize and conquer lands around the world?
    • they were white
    • very developed/advanced society built from the industrial revolution
    • could build railroads and steamships the help their exploration
  • what was the “dual mandate?” how did lord lugard try to “justify” the colonization of africa?
    • to open up africa to the civilized world and open their minds to civilization
    • it helped free the african people of their “corrupt” local government and provide them with a “better” government
  • how did imperialism impact the economy of the colonizer? economic impact on the colonies?
    • colonizer: more room to grow their population and businesses, more access to materials and land
    • colonies: less control over their own land and lives, more involuntary labor
  • why did imperialism spark nationalism? what were the effects?
    • pushed countries to allow the control of europe, the “most civilized” nation
  • who were the key imperialist powers in southeast asia and why did they colonize the areas they did?
    • britain and france
    • for resources, labor, and economic growth

india

  • what were the causes and effects of the sepoy rebellion (1857)? why is this event called different names?
    • indian’s rose against the british imperialists; refused to use the european rifle cartridges as they had pig and cow products on them that were required to go in one’s mouth, going against religious rules of hinduism and islam
    • abolished the british east india company
    • it’s called different names because each country has a different view on what happened and how it impacted different countries
  • how did british rule impact india economically? politically? socially?
    • improved agriculture; cash crops (crops that are worth a lot)
    • very strong political control; direct rule; took full possession of their assets
    • became the most successful trade company
  • why did the british establish english as the official language of india? how did thomas macaulay reflect the views of many 19th century british people?
    • for better communication between the british and indians; for a “higher” education and level of intellect; for a way of western learning
    • thomas macaulay successfully westernized the indian education system
  • what was the indian national congress (inc)? the muslim league? what role did they play in the india nationalist movement?
    • the indian national congress was formed to create a platform for civil and political dialogue among educated indians
    • the muslim league was created to protect the rights and freedoms of indian muslims
  • what were the key principles which guided mohandas gandhi? what strategies did he use and how effective were they?
    • nonviolence, truth, and honesty
  • amritsar massacre (1919) - causes and effects? why was it so significant?
    • british troops fired on a large crown of unarmed indians
  • salt march (1930) - what sparked it? significance and impact?
    • a march led by gandhi to protest the british rule over india
  • raid on the dharasana salt works (1930) - what did it involve? what does this event reveal about the nature of non-violent resistance?
    • nonviolent protest against the british salt tax; gandhi was arrested

africa

  • what motivated european nations in their attempts to exert control over west africa and north africa?
    • to gain land for economic growth and to obtain natural materials for their post-industrial revolution society
  • david livingstone & henry stanley: significance and impact?
    • david livingstone was reported missing when he went to explore more parts of africa; later, henry stanley found him and although stanley despised exploring, they continued to travel make discoveries together
  • what impact did king leopold ii of belgium have on the european scramble to colonize africa?
    • he implemented a forced-labour system in congo (soon copied in other european-colonized countries); it was terrible for congo’s population and leopold was eventually forced to give up power over the colony
  • what was the berlin conference (1884-1885) and why was it significant?
    • new imperialism
    • split up africa, grouping different parts together despite the cultural differences between different parts of the country
  • how did king leopold ii rule the congo? impact and legacy?
    • brutally seized the land for his own personal possessions
  • what was the congo reform association and why was it significant?
    • fought for congo to be a free state and take it out from under king leopold’s private grasp
  • who was cecil rhodes? how did he exemplify the european imperialists of this era?
    • became the prime minister of the cape colony; introduce acts of parliament to push africans from their land and use it instead for industrial development; said driving africans off their own land would “stimulate them to labor”

china + southeast asia

  • how did internal and external factors contribute to the decline of the qing dynasty?
    • europeans enacted treaties and started wars that disrupted the already declining society (population decline, loss of farmland, not enough jobs)
  • what were the causes and effects of the opium war (1839-1842)? significance of the treaty of nanjing?
    • british powers were illegally exporting opium from southeast asian countries; opium addiction soon became a problem in those countries (primarily china), leading to the disruption of their society
    • the treaty of nanjing ended the opium war but was the first “unequal” treaty between and country and its foreign powers; china paid the british insurance, gave away the territory of hong kong to the british, and agreed to establish a “fair and reasonable” taxing system
  • how did each of the following further weaken the qing dynasty?
    • imperialistic powers cause it to struggle more
  • taiping rebellion (1850-1864)
    • the revolt against the qing dynasty; they protested the lack of strong, central control over a large territory and poor economic prospects for a massive population
    • qing won
  • spheres of influence
    • a country/territoy where another country has the power to affect the developments of it but does not have any formal authority within it
  • sino-japanese war (1894-1895)
    • conflict between the two countries for supremacy in korea which had long been china's most important client state, but its strategic location opposite the japanese islands and its natural resources of coal and iron attracted japan's interest
  • boxer rebellion (1900)
    • an uprising against foreigners in china that was begun by peasants but eventually supported everyone, including the government; fought against tensions and pressures brought by europe
  • why did the us propose the open door policy (1899)?
    • the us was worried about losing the ability to trade with china so they established the open door policy to protect that ability
  • what was the revolution of 1911 and why was it significant?
    • ended the qing dynasty and established the republic of china in its place

industrial revolution

  • what changes led to an agricultural revolution in the 1700s? impact of these changes?
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  • what were the key features of the industrial revolution?
    • new machines, more labor, more affordable lifestyle for many
  • why did the industrial revolution begin in britain? what were the key factors?
    • the agricultural revolution sparked room for more improvement in the work facilities and new machines
  • why did britain transition from cottage industries to factories?
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  • why were coal and iron so critical to the industrial revolution?
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  • what was the social impact of industrialization in europe?
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  • what prompted marx and engels to write the communist manifesto (1848)? key ideas?
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  • how does communism differ from capitalism? what are the key features of each? wow does communism in theory differ from communism in practice?
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  • business models: examples? key characteristics? pros/cons for consumers?
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  • what were the effects, both positive and negative, of the industrial revolution? Social impact?
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  • comparison from farm to factory—what were the most significant changes to the everyday lives of individuals and families?
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scientific revolution, enlightenment, and the french revolution

scientific revolution (1550-1700)

  • what did europeans believe about the universe in 1500? why were these ideas accepted for 1400+ years?
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  • what were the most significant challenges that scientists faced during the 16th & 17th centuries?
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  • how did copernicus' ideas clash with ptolemy's model of the universe?
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  • key leaders of the scientific revolution: what did they contribute? why significant?
    • copernicus - first to say the universe was heliocentric (sun-centered) rather than geocentric (earth-centered); all of his theories considered blasphemy by the catholic church
    • kepler -
    • galileo - further researched copernicus’ findings by inventing the telescope, considered the “father of modern science”
    • newton -
  • what were the key breakthroughs in medicine and chemistry during the scientific revolution?
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  • which people made these advances?
    • Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovered blood cells and bacteria
  • how did women contribute to the scientific revolution?
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  • how did the ideas of renee descartes and frances bacon shape the development of the scientific method?
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  • what is the scientific method and why is it significant?
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  • why did the church resist some of the scientific advances made during this era?
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the enlightenment (age of reason) (18th century)

  • what is the connection between the scientific revolution and the enlightenment?
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  • how did the philosophers view human nature and human behavior?
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  • what were the key ideas of the enlightenment?
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  • how did thomas hobbes’ view of humans shape his ideas regarding government and its role?
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  • key individuals: what did they contribute? significance and impact?
    • locke -
    • montesquieu -
    • rousseau -
    • voltaire -
    • wollstonecraft -
  • what is deism? how did it reflect enlightenment ideas?
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  • assess the significance and impact of the enlightenment. how did it shape events to come? examples?
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french revolution

  • what role did each of the following play in the lead up to the french revolution:
    • french social structure
    • enlightenment ideas
    • economic issues/crisis
  • why did king louis xvi call a meeting of the estates-general in 1789?
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  • the three estates:
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  • who made up each estate?
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  • key complaints of the third estate?
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  • why was there disagreement over voting in the estates-general?
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  • national assembly--why was it established? major reforms?
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  • storming of the bastille (july 14, 1789): impact and significance?
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  • what was the great fear? connection to the august decrees (1789) of the national assembly?
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  • “declaration of the rights of man and citizen” (1789)
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  • what did it say? why significant? how did it reflect enlightenment ideas?
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  • comparison to olympe de gouges’ “declaration of the rights of woman” (1791)
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  • reign of terror (1793-1794)
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  • committee of public safety/role of robespierre
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  • impact on france? european response/reaction?
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  • republic of virtue--what did it mean? why was terror "necessary" to establish virtue?
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  • the directory (1795-1799): why established? how was it organized? why didn’t it last?
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  • napoleon--military success, hero. coup d'etat (1799), emperor (1804) = end of the republic
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  • napoleonic wars:
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  • what were the major factors that led to the collapse of napoleon's empire?
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  • significance of the russian campaign?
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  • significance of waterloo (1815)?
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  • to what extent did napoleon fulfill the goals of the enlightenment? in what ways did he not?
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  • congress of vienna (1814-1815): who met? what did they decide? impact/significance?
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  • what are the key ideas underlying conservatism? liberalism?
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  • consider napoleon's domestic and foreign policies: in what ways did he preserve the ideals of the french revolution?  in what ways did he not preserve the ideals of the french revolution?
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  • what were the two major reasons behind the collapse of napoleon's empire? how did each one weaken napoleon's hold on europe?
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  • how did napoleon's disaster in russia affect both his grand army and the french nation?
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world religions

hinduism and buddhism

  • how did aryan practices and beliefs influence the development of hinduism?
    • both the idea of the caste system and hindu practices were developed from aryan beliefs
  • how do hindus view gods? connection to brahman? what are the three chief gods?
    • there are many gods in hinduism
    • brahman is the supreme power in the universe
    • the 3 chief gods are brahma the creator, vishnu the preserver, and shiva the destroyer
  • what is the caste system? how is a person's caste determined? impact/significance?
    • the caste system is the rigid social hierarchy that was a crucial part of ancient hinduism
    • classes: brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, sudras, untouchables
    • a person’s class is determined by social status and family lineage; there was no way to change it
    • forced many people into poverty (the majority of the population was at the bottom of the pyramid)
  • how are karma, dharma and reincarnation related? connection to moksha?
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  • what are the key beliefs that link all hindus (despite thousands of different sects)?
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  • what is puja?
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  • why did siddhartha gautama leave a life of luxury? how did he attempt to find a way to eliminate human suffering?
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  • which specific hindu teachings did siddhartha gautama reject?
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  • what are the four noble truths? how do they connect to the eightfold path?
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  • do buddhists believe in karma and reincarnation? what is nirvana? how does a person achieve it?
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judaism, christianity, and islam

  • why are these religions called abrahamic faiths? why was abraham so significant?
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  • what are the key beliefs of judaism? sacred text?
    • the torah and the talmud
  • moses, david, and solomon: significance?
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  • what was the diaspora? impact and significance?
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  • how did judaism influence christianity? what ideas did jesus emphasize?
    • judaism came first and transferred many of the same beliefs and origin stories onto christianity although as modern religions they have much conflict
  • what are the key beliefs of christianity? sacred text?
    • the bible
  • why did christianity gain so many followers? reasons for its appeal?
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  • what was life like for arabs in the arabian peninsula before muhammad?
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  • what happened in 622 ce and 630 ce? why are these dates so significant in islam?
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  • what are the key beliefs of islam? sacred text?
    • the quran
  • how do muslim beliefs impact the daily lives of adherents?
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  • what is sharia law? why does it represent a divergence from christianity/judaism?
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  • how are these three faiths similar? what are the most significant differences?
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