★ European colonialism

• Imperialism


  The act of extending a country's authority to other lands by political, military and economic means
• During the period of Imperialism, the Europeans did not only conquer lands but considered influencing the social, political, and, most importantly, the economic lives of the people that they have conquered
• Expansion of European empires

  1. Europeans started to search for raw materials that they could use for manufacturing goods

  2. Finding lands beyond their borders, the Europeans established colonies in these lands and made the people these places their pool of markets for their finished products
• By the year 1800, Europeans had made healthy profits in the Indian Ocean trade
• To safeguard their economic interests and enhance their political prestige, nations began a race for colonial possessions
• The United States and Japan joined in these overseas expansions, ushering in the age of imperialism
• Decline of the Ming Dynasty


  1. People rebelled against the Mings

  2. Faced by the double challenge against the people and the Manchus, the Ming Dynasty finally declined
• Manchus


  A mixture of other tribes of Korean descent who settled in the northeast of China, they had developed a distinct society and identified themselves as the Manchus in 1635
• The Han Chinese considered the Manchus, who were kept beyond the borders of the empire, as barbarians
• Manchus' conquest of China

  1. The Manchus, though much fewer in number compared to the Han Chinese, began moving south into the territory using their combined military strategies and unanimity

  2. The Manchus succeeded to take power despite a number of problems at the beginning of their rule
• The Manchus took a Chinese name - the Qing dynasty - and ruled China for 250 years
• The Qing dynasty annexed Taiwan, Chinese Central Asia, Mongolia, and Tibet to China
• With the belief that the Chinese are more superior to any of their counterpart beyond their land, the Chinese repelled the rule of the Manchus
• China during these years was an example of a warring state for many years