Lesson 4 : Age of Western Imperialism Flashcards
Discovering prospective settlements
Exploration
Establishing a colony/settlement on a foreign land
Colonization
Policy by which one country takes over another country or region by force or coercion
Imperialism
European nations, such as Spain and Portugal, focused primarily on establishing colonies in the Americas
Old Imperialism
Motivation of the Old Imperialism
Search for wealth and the spread of Christianity.
Starting and ending centuries of Old Imperialism
16th to 18th centuries
Emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
New Imperialism
New Imperialism was driven by
Industrial Revolution
New Imperialism sought new territories in
Africa and Asia
The acronym E.M.P.I.R.E. stands for
Economic, Military, Political, Ideologically, Religious, Exploratory
European powers, including Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany, competed to colonize Africa. The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) formalized the division of Africa without African input.
Scramble for Africa
British imperialist who envisioned expanding British control across Africa. His influence led to the colonization of Southern Africa (Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe and Zambia).
Cecil Rhodes
Established personal control over the Congo Free State, leading to brutal exploitation and atrocities, including forced labor and millions of deaths.
King Leopold II of Belgium
After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Britain took direct control over India, leading to the economic exploitation of the country while introducing British law, infrastructure, and education.
British Raj in India
Britain forced China to open its ports to British trade, including opium, leading to unequal treaties and the creation of spheres of influence in China by European powers.
Opium Wars
Japan, instead of being colonized, adopted Western industrialization and militarization, becoming an imperial power in its own right, expanding into Korea and China.
Meiji Restoration
A vital waterway controlled by the British and French, it provided faster access to colonies in Asia and Africa, becoming a major point of conflict during British imperial dominance over Egypt.
Suez Canal
After the Ottoman Empire’s fall, Britain and France gained control over regions in the Middle East under the guise of “mandates,” reshaping the political landscape.
British and French Mandates
U.S. policy that opposed European interference in Latin America, asserting influence over the region.
Monroe Doctrine
The United States defeated Spain and took control of its former colonies, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, marking the U.S. as an emerging imperial power.
Spanish-American War
An extension of the Monroe Doctrine, this policy justified U.S. intervention in Latin American countries to maintain stability, often referred to as “imperialism without colonization.”
Roosevelt Corollary
