Unit #6 - Age of Imperialism

• colonialism - the belief in maintaining an empire politically, economically, religiously, socially, and intellectually.
• empire - a vast area or regions controlled or ruled by a single authority by using colonialism
• imperialism - the belief in making an empire; Politically, economically, religiously, socially, intellectually, and within an area.
• territory - a large area usually controlled by a political entity
• spheres of influence - a spatial region or concept division over which a state or organization has significant political, economic, religious, social, and intellectual influence
• interdependence - when two states (nations) or more are dependent on each other? (socially/economically/politically/religiously, intellectually)
• hegemony - leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others
• Scramble for Africa - Over 90% of Africa was taken over by European countries that scrambled (raced) to take over the continent. This was set in motion by the Berlin Conference.
• Berlin Conference - a meeting in 1885 of the European Empires (Imperial powers) to colonize Africa along geographic boundaries
• "White Man's Burden" - was a poem written by Rudyard Kipling that showed the ideas of European thoughts on how to civilize (help improve) the people that they imperialized (took over) by teaching them European customs and religious beliefs (Christianity)
• Social Darwinism - Herbert Spencer's ideas that the theories of Charles Darwin and Natural Selection should apply to society and it is your genes that determine your superiority and fate. This will eventually culminate in the social construct of race
• Race - a social construct (made up by people) in which categories of people are defined by various characteristics (skin color, eye shape, hair type, face width, etc.).
• natural resources/raw materials - the natural elements and physical materials/resource of the earth (coal, iron, copper, salt, wood, oil, rubber, gold, silver, etc.)
• Sepoy Mutiny / Indian Rebellion - rebellion by the hired Indian soldiers of the East India Company in which India tried (but failed) to gained independence from Great Britain (England)
• Boxer Rebellion - febellion in which China tried (but failed) to gain independence from the various European (Western) nations that controlled them.
• Opium Wars - After the British began smuggling opium (an addictive drug) into China, the Chinese fought back against British imperialism
• Treaty of Nanking/Nanjing - uneven treaty after the Opium Wars in which benefited Great Britain and unfairly treated China. Territory such as; Hong Kong and Shanghai were leased, Ports such as Canton were opened to foreign trade, payment for damages, was imposed.