5.1 - 5.6 Imperialism terms Flashcards
5.1 What is imperialism, and what are specific examples?
Imperialism is the extension of a nation’s power over other lands. For example, Belgium imperializing Congo and Britain imperializing India.
5.2 What were the motives for imperialism?
To expand global trade.
The Europeans wanted new territory to exploit for cheap.
They wanted more land to increase their power.
The Europeans wanted to extend their territory to Asia and Africa.
Europe’s imperial purpose (they felt that they had to implement their culture in other areas).
Berlin Conference
Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 Meeting at which the major European powers negotiated and formalized claims to territory in Africa; also called the Berlin West Africa Conference.
5.3 What was the impact of imperialism?
The “new imperialism” affected the cultural and economic lives of more than a million people.
Social Darwinism
Social darwinism was the belief that certain people gained more power than others because they were innately better than them. This affected imperialism because it allowed for certain countries to imperialize other regions based upon the belief that they were naturally better.
Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa was the conquest and colonization of most of Africa by seven Western European powers driven by the Second Industrial Revolution during the era of “New Imperialism”. In 1870, 10% of the continent was formally under European control.
“White Man’s Burden”
The “White Man’s Burden” was a racist political cartoon that depicted two Europeans carrying people from other countries on their backs. The cartoon depicts the people being carried as uncivilized, therefore being a “burden” to the Europeans. It was not just the cartoon itself but an entire belief/philosophy. The cartoon is just a depiction of what many believed.
