Motives & Ideologies
This economic need from the Industrial Revolution pushed European powers to seek colonies for-
Raw materials / new markets.
Rule where colonial officials replace local rulers (example: French Indochina).
Direct rule.
This anti‑malaria drug allowed Europeans to survive deep tropical expeditions.
Quinine
The 1884–85 European meeting that formalized rules for dividing Africa.
Berlin Conference.
The 1853 U.S. naval officer who forced Japan to open its ports.
Commodore Matthew Perry.
The treaty that forced Germany to accept blame and pay reparations after WWI.
Treaty of Versailles.
The phrase used to describe Europe’s duty to civilize “backward” peoples (also a Kipling poem idea).
“White man’s burden” / civilizing mission.
Rule where local elites keep positions but answer to colonial power (example: British India).
Indirect rule.
The rapid communication technology that connected colonies to European capitals.
Telegraph.
By 1914, roughly this percent of Africa was under European control.
~90%
The 1857 uprising of Indian soldiers against British practices; name it.
Sepoy Mutiny (Indian Rebellion of 1857).
The worldwide economic collapse beginning in 1929 that helped fuel extremist politics.
The Great Depression.
The political force that turned colonies into prestige symbols and intensified competition among European states.
Nationalism.
When a country gains exclusive trading rights without direct political takeover (example: parts of China).
Sphere of influence.
One early automatic weapon that gave Europeans a major battlefield advantage.
Machine gun.
The ruler whose private rule of the Congo Free State led to forced rubber labor and international outrage.
King Leopold II of Belgium
Two ways the Meiji government modernized Japan.
built railroads; established modern banking; sent missions to study Western institutions; modernized army and industry.
Name one result of WWI that accelerated decolonization after WWII.
European empires weakened economically and politically after WWII, making colonial rule harder and accelerating independence movements (e.g., weakened Britain/France).
The pseudo‑scientific theory Europeans used to justify racial hierarchies and domination.
Social Darwinism.
Colonies formed mainly by large-scale European settlement and racial segregation; settler colonialism. (provide two examples)
Algeria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand
Two infrastructure projects Europeans built in colonies that facilitated resource extraction.
Railroads, canals, ports
Two human consequences of forced‑labor rubber quotas in the Congo Free State.
Torture, amputations, murder, population decline, forced labor, family separation.
Explain why Siam (Thailand) avoided formal colonization.
Siam modernized under King Mongkut and Rama II/III, played Britain and France off each other, adopted reforms to remain independent
Two Cold War conflicts where decolonization and superpower rivalry intersected.
Korea and Vietnam
A short explanation: how did cash‑crop demands contribute to imperial expansion?
Cash‑crop demand required access to colonies for raw inputs (e.g., rubber, cotton), so industrial nations seized territories to secure supply and markets.
Describe two economic methods Europeans used to control local economies without formal annexation.
foreign investment/concessions (companies controlling mines/plantations), economic imperialism via debt/loans that led to loss of land/control.
Explain how industrial technology changed both conquest and administration of empires.
Industrial tech (weapons, steamships, telegraph) enabled rapid conquest and centralized control; infrastructure (railroads, telegraph) allowed efficient resource removal and administration.
Give one primary cause and one primary effect of the Scramble for Africa.
Cause: Industrial demand for rubber and resources; Effect: social collapse, forced labor regimes, and long‑term economic disruption in African societies.
Compare how British rule in India both modernized infrastructure and harmed local economies
railroads/telegraph modernized transport and communications, improved public health; harm: deindustrialization, cash‑crop shifts causing famines, economic drain to Britain.
Explain how imperial borders and colonial legacies contributed to post‑WWII instability in one region of your choice.
imperial borders often ignored ethnic/tribal realities (Africa, Middle East), causing post‑independence conflicts; economic dependency on single cash crops/minerals led to instability; new states lacked administrative capacity, which superpower rivalry sometimes exploited.