Imperialism

Question 1

Africa Before European Domination

Answer 1

A. In the mid 1800s, African people divided into hundreds of diverse ethnic and linguistic groups. (more than 1,000 languages spoken)
B. European armies kept out of Africa by powerful African armies since 1450s. (400 years)
C. Africans controlled their own trade networks.
D. 1880: European only controlled 10% of Africa (mostly on coast) and could not travel into the interior because; they could not navigate African rivers (rapids, cataracts, changing flows) until the invention of the steamship and disease.
*Important Rivers: Nile, Amazon, Congo.
E. Europeans who went into the interior were explorers, missionaries or opponents of the slave trade.

Question 2

Belgian Congo

Answer 2

A. Stanley also helped King Leopold II of Belgium sign treaties with chiefs in the Congo so the king personally gained control of the land.
~King claimed he wanted to abolish slave trade and promote Christianity.
~He actually brutally exploited Africans by forcing them to collect sap from rubber plants. Punishment for not collecting enough was beatings, abuse, rape or chopping off their hands.
B. In 1908, the Belgian government took control of the colony as people protested Leopold’s cruelty.
~The Belgium Congo was 80 times larger than its mother country.

Question 3

Forces Driving Imperialism

Answer 3

“For God, Glory, and Gold.”
A. Needed for new markets and raw materials to improve their economy. (GOLD)
B. National pride: Europeans viewed colonies and having an empire as a show of power and they competed with other countries for more land. (GLORY)
C. Racism (belief that one race is superior to others)
~Racism reflected idea on Social Darwinism or Survival of the Fittest.
D. Convert or “civilize” native peoples. (GOD)

Question 4

Factors that Contributed to the European’s Conquest of Africa

Answer 4

A. Superior Technology: guns.
B. Able to control empire: steam engine, railroads, steamships.
C. Inoculation: disease (Edward Jenner)

Question 5

The Division of Africa

Answer 5

A. Berlin Conference: 14 European countries met in 1884-5 to divide up Africa.
~No African leaders were invited to the meetings.
~Any European country could claim land by telling other countries it was theirs and showing they could control it.
~This divided up Africa with no thought of traditional ethnic boundaries of Africa.

Question 6

Three Groups Clash over South Africa: Zulus Fight the British

Answer 6

A. Zulu chief named Shaka was able to create a centralized kingdom but future rulers could not keep the British out. (they were still fighting with shields and spears)
B. In 1879, Britain invaded and the Zulu lost the Battle of Ulundi and their kingdom.

Question 7

Three Groups Clash over South Africa: Boers and British Settle in the Cape

Answer 7

A. The Dutch had begun to settle in South Africa in the 1600s as a way station between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies.
B. Some Boers (Dutch farmers) settled and began to take away land from Africans.
C. Boers disagreed with British settlers over policies and in 1830s, tried to escape them by taking the Great Trek (thousands of Boers moved North) ended up fighting the…

Question 8

Three Groups Clash over South Africa: Boer War 1899-1902

Answer 8

A. After gold and diamond were discovered, Boers tried to keep people from gaining political rights but ended up fighting the British.
B. First modern “total” war: Boers used guerilla tactics against British and British burned farms and imprisoned Boers in concentration camps.
C. British won the war and Boer republic renames Union of South Africa.

Question 9

Nigeria

Answer 9

A. Britain gained control of Southern Nigeria with diplomacy (talking/resolving issues) and military force:
~diplomacy: certain rulers agreed to sign treaties of protection with Britain and allowed British settlers into the area.
~military force used against those that rebelled.
B. Used Royal Niger Company to gain control of Northern Nigeria: company gained control of the palm-oil trade along the Niger River, Britain gained control of the area during the Berlin Conference.
C. In 1914, Britain claimed Nigeria as a colony.
~difficult to govern because about 250 different ethnic groups (Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo were the three largest).
~Britain did not have enough troops and used indirect rule (limited self rule, local rulers) instead.

Question 10

Types of Resistance

Answer 10

A. Non-confrontational resistance: peaceful acts that do not directly involve the aggressor. (often done in secret)
B. Confrontational resistance: directly opposing or publicly defying aggressor. (direct action)
C. Violent/armed resistance: physically attacking the aggressor or their assets.

Question 11

African Resistance: Unsuccessful Movements

Answer 11

A. Unsuccessful movements: Europe had better weapons; Africa loses.
B. Algeria fought the French for almost 50 years.
C. Samori Touure built a powerful Mandingo empire that was the third largest in West Africa and opposed the French Imperialists for 16 years before he was sent to exile.
D. African Villagers in German East Africa, resisted the Germans order that they plant cotton (cash crop) instead of food for themselves.
E. In 1905, belief of magic water (maji maji) that bounced off bullets. People believed that the bullets from machine guns would turn into water.

Question 12

African Resistance: Only Successful Movement

Answer 12

Ethiopia: only African nation to successfully to resist Europeans and remain independent.
~Menelik II (emperor of Ethiopia) played Italians, French, and British against each other and brought a large arsenal of modern weapons from France and Russia.
~signed a treaty with Italians but discovered differences in wording in the Ethiopian language and in Italian: he thought he was giving up a tiny portion of Ethiopia but Italy was actually claiming all of Ethiopia so Menelik declared war.
~defeated Italians at Battle of Adowa in 1896.

Question 13

Ottoman Empire Loses Power

Answer 13

At its peak under the leadership of King Suleyman I, the Ottoman Empire was based around the Mediterranean Sea and stretched from Hungary, into Syria and across Northern Africa.

Question 14

Suleyman the Magnificence

Answer 14

A. Ruled from 1520 to 1566 and created a working social structure within the empire:
~created a law code that stated penalties for criminal acts, tried to reduce bribes and did not allow imprisonment without trial
~simplified tax system and reduced government bureaucracy
~these changes made life difficult for almost all citizens and he was nicknamed as Suleyman the Lawgiver
B. Had 20,000 personal slaves, he got through the devshirme system (drafted boys from conquered Christian territory, educated them, converted them to Islam and trained them as soldiers)
C. Granted freedom of religion.
D. Art, architecture, and literature also flourished: Mosque of Suleyman

Question 15

Ottoman Empire Loses Power

Answer 15

A. In the 1800s: the Ottoman Empire had declined in power because of: weak leaders, corruption, slower modernization than Europe, territories within began to declare their independence.

Question 16

Europeans Grab Ottoman Territory

Answer 16

A. Geopolitical: taking an interest in the land because of its strategic location or products.
B. Crimean War (1853): Russia vs. Britain, France and Ottoman Empire (Britain and France did not want Russia to have more power): Russia was defeated but the war showed the Ottomans’ weaknesses.

Question 17

Egypt Initiates Reforms

Answer 17

A. Egypt attempted to modernize to try to block European domination.
B. Muhammad Ali became known as the rulers of Egypt after the Ottomans sent him to govern the area but he broke away from their control.
C. Isma’il (Muhammad Ali’s grandson) supported the construction of the Suez Canal (connected the Red Sea to the Mediterranean) but Isma’il’s other modernization projects bankrupted the country and led to Britain occupying Egypt.
~the Suez Canal was known as the Lifeline of the [British] Empire because it gave Britain quicker access to Africa and Asian colonies.

Question 18

Imperialism

Answer 18

A stronger country takes over countries politically, economically and/or socially.

Question 19

European Powers Invade Southeast Asia: Dutch East Indies

Answer 19

A. Controlled by the Dutch (Netherlands) began when the Dutch East India Company (trading company) took control of Indonesia.
B. Dutch thought of Indonesia as their home moved there to manage plantations and trade.
C. Used forced slave labor to gather raw materials and crops (ex: coffee, pepper, cinnamon, tea, tin, copper, timber).
D. Forced farmers to plant specified export crops on 1/5 of their land.
E. Social class system: Dutch, wealthy and educated Indonesians, plantation workers.

Question 20

European Powers Invade Southeast Asia: British take the Malayan Peninsula

Answer 20

A. Gained control of Singapore (and also Burma and Malaysia) because they wanted to compete with the Dutch and they needed trade port so they could have a stopping station as they traded with the rest of Asia.
B. Malaysia had tin and rubber and the British encouraged the Chinese to immigrate to work in tin mines and rubber plantations: this resulted in Malays being minorities in their own country.

Question 21

European Powers Invade Southeast Asia: French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos)

Answer 21

A. The French had been involved in Vietnam since the 17th century but in the 1840s, seven French missionaries were killed - church leaders and capitalists who wanted more money demanded the French military intervention.
B. French emperor Napoleon III ordered French army to invade: Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia because known as French Indochina.
C. Used direct colonial management - French filled all important positions in government and did not encourage local industry.
D. Four times as much land was used for rice production but much of the rice was exported and peasants actually got less to eat.

Question 22

European Powers Invade Southeast Asia: Colonial Impact on Vietnam

Answer 22

A. Economies based on cash crops or goods that could be traded grew.
B. Improved roads, harbors, and railroads mostly benefited European businesses.
C. Education, health, and sanitation did improve.
D. Millions of people from other parts of Asia migrated to work on plantations and mines in Southeast Asia and resulted in cultural changes (Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists together), often led to racial and religious clashes.

Question 23

The Exception: Siam (Thailand)

Answer 23

A. Siam maintained its independence from Europeans throughout colonial period: kings used French and British competition against each other and promoted Siam as a neutral zone. (used diplomacy on France and Britain)
B. Siam also modernized itself under leadership of King Mongkut and King Chualongkorn: started schools, reformed the legal system, reorganized government, built railroads, telegraph lines, ended slavery.

Question 24

American Imperialism in the Pacific

Answer 24

A. United States gained control of Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam after they defeated Spain in the Spanish-American war in 1898.
B. Colonized Philippines because President McKinley wanted to “educate Filipinos, and uplift and Christianize them”, also wanted United States to become a world power and wanted new markets and trade.
C. Filipinos led by Emilio Aguinaldo, claimed that the United States had promised independence after the Spanish-American war: they fought the United States until they were defeated in 1902.

Question 25

United States Gain Control of Hawaii

Answer 25

A. Interest began in 1790s when Hawaii was a port on the way to China and East India but in the 1820s Americans established sugar-cane plantations there.
B. McKinley Tariff Act made Hawaiian sugar more expensive in America and American businessmen wanted the United States to annex (claim and add the land to their country) Hawaii.
~Tariff: tax added to import to make domestic profits more profitable.
C. Queen Liliuokalani tried to increase her power and the power of Hawaiians so a group of wealthy American business men removed her from power and declared Hawaii a republic.
D. Hawaii annexed by the United States in 1898.

Question 26

British Expand Control over India

Answer 26

A. British economy interest in India began in the 1600s when the British East India Company first set up trading posts, but the East India Company did not become the leading power in India until Robert Clive led the company’s troops and won the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
~ The company had its own army led by British officers and Indian soldiers (sepoys).
B. British East India Company technically ruled by British Government.

Question 27

Britain’s “Jewel in the Crown”

Answer 27

A. “the sun never sets on the British Empire”
B. India was most valuable British colony because it supplied raw materials and there were 300 million people to buy British goods.
~India provided a lot of cotton for Britain’s industrialization.
C. Britain restricted India from operating on its own: India produced raw materials for Britain and had to buy British goods, competition with British goods were prohibited.
~Ex: grew cotton but did not make cloth
D. Britain established a railroad in India that transported goods: tea, indigo, coffee, cotton, jute and opium.

Question 28

Impact of Colonialism: Positive Aspects

Answer 28

A. Britain created the world’s largest railroad network: allowed India to develop a modern economy and brought unity to connected regions.
B. Also helped modernized India with: roads, telephone and telegraph lines, dams, bridges and canals.
C. Sanitation and public health improved.
D. Literacy increased because there were more schools.

Question 29

Impact of Colonialism: Negative Aspects

Answer 29

A. Britain held the political and economic power in India: restricted Indian– owned industries, reduced food production because farmers were forced to plant cash crops (also less self sufficient)
B. More Christian missionaries and racist British officials threatened traditional Indian life (many were Hindus or Muslims) and angered Indians.

Question 30

The Sepoy Mutiny (Rebellion)

Answer 30

A. 1857: gossip spread among sepoys that their new Enfield rifles were greased with beef and pork fat– this was a problem because soldiers were either Hindus (consider cows as sacred) and Muslims (do not eat pork) and they had to bit off the end of the cartridges.
B. Sepoys refused to accept the cartridges and were arrested, the sepoys rebelled, marched to and capture Delhi and the rebellion spread through northern and central India.
C. Lasted for a year and lost because Indians were not united: weak leadership, division between Muslims and Hindus.
D. Sepoy Mutiny led the British government to take direct control of country in 1858 and lasted until 1947: Raj (part of India under direct control) led by cabinet minister in London and British Viceroy in India.
E. Mutiny fueled British racism towards Indians and increased distrust between the two.

Question 31

Nationalism Surfaces in India

Answer 31

A. Nationalism: began to increase.
~Indian National Congress (1885) and Muslim League (1906) formed to work for independence and the Muslim League worker to protest Muslim rights in India.

Question 32

The White Man’s Burden by Kipling

Answer 32

Poem is biased.

Burden = have to go take care of Native ppl.