Regents Prep: Global History & Geography: Vocabulary

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Imperialism Vocabulary List

archipelago : A group or chain of islands. balance of power : A political policy in which countries attempt to preserve peace by keeping an equal military and economic status. Balfour Declaration : A promise made by British Prime Minister Balfour to create a homeland for the Jewish people. Berlin Conference : (1884-1885) During European Imperialism, various European leaders met in Berlin, Germany to discuss plans for dividing Africa peacefully. These leaders had little regard for African independence, and had no representation for native Africans. This began the process of imperializing Africa. Boer War : (1899-1902) War between Great Britain and the Boers in South Africa over control of rich mining country. Great Britain won and created the Union of South Africa comprised of all the South African colonies. Boers : Dutch descended colonist living in South Africa. Also called Afrikaners. Boxer Rebellion : (1900) A rebellion by the people of China to end foreign domination. British East India Company : A joint stock company that controlled most of India during the period of imperialism. This company controlled the political, social, and economic life in India for more than 200 years. Christianity : Currently the most popular religion in the world based on the number of worshippers found throughout the world. While this monotheistic religion developed from Judaism, there are several key differences in its teachings. Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ in the 1st century CE. The Christian holy book is called the Holy Bible. civil war : A war between groups of people in the same country, culture, or political system. colonialism : The policy of maintaining colonies as a source of raw materials and new markets. Practiced during old and new imperialism. constitution : A document detailing the fundamental laws of a country or organization. containment : A cold war policy that called for containing communism to areas already under its influence. This policy was proposed by U.S. President Harry Truman. cultural diffusion : The spreading of ideas through contact such as trade or war. culture system : A system of slave labor used by the Dutch in their South East Asia colonies. democracy : A system of government in which the citizens hold the legislative, judicial, and executive power, based on majority rule. Dutch East Indies : A group of islands in South East Asia claimed by the Dutch during Imperialism. Elizabeth I : (1533-1603) Queen of England and Ireland between 1558 and 1603. She was an absolute monarch and is considered to be one of the most successful rulers of all time. emperor : Political ruler of a country of nation. Similar to a king. European Community/European Union : Economic union between countries in Europe for mutual gain. Originally formed in 1951 as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), it later became the European Community in 1967, then the European Union in 1991. extraterritoriality : A policy that guaranteed European citizens in China were only subject to the laws of their own nation and could only be tried by their own courts. famine : Widespread hunger caused by the near complete lack of food. Feudalism : A social, political, and economic system that dominated all aspects of medieval European life. foreign policy : A nation’s actions regarding how they treat other nations. French Indochina : Area of southeast Asia controlled by France during Imperialism. Includes Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere : A imperialistic system founded by Japan consisting of other Asian countries during the early 20th century. Japan reduced its members to puppet nations, taking their raw materials and using them as new markets. Holocaust : The attempted genocide of European Jews, Gypsies, mentally retarded, homosexuals, and others by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Imperialism : The complete control of a weaker nation’s social, economic, and political life by a stronger nation. Industrial Revolution : In the second half of the 19th century, it was the fundamental change in the way goods were produced through the use of machines, capital, and the centralization of work forces in factories. It completely altered the social, economic, and political structure of most of Europe, Japan, and the United States. industrialization : The change to industrial methods of production such as the use of factories. invasion : The entry of forces into a territory through hostile means. joint stock company : A company that sells shares to investors who share in the profits and losses. Khmer Rouge : A group of communist guerillas in Cambodia during the late 20th century, led by Pol Pot, that gained control of Cambodia after the withdrawal of American troops from the Vietnam War. The initiated a reign of terror, killing over a million people to remove all western influence from the country. This gross violation of human rights ended when Vietnam invaded and occupied the country in 1979. In the 1990s, the United Nations negotiated a peace settlement, and began the democratic process in Cambodia. King Leopold : (1835-1909) King of Belgium who began imperialistic trade inside of Africa which resulted in the Scramble for Africa. Kipling, Rudyard : (1865-1936) British writer and poet. His poem The White Man’s Burden became a popular justification for European imperialism. Latin America : The Geopolitical designation for Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands which were settled by the Spanish. League of Nations : A multinational peace keeping organization which began as an idea of United States President Woodrow Wilson following the first World War. The Treaty of Versailles created a League with over 40 different countries joining. The United States was not one of them. The League of Nations was to be an international body that would settle future problems through negotiations instead of warfare. The member nations were to work cooperatively through economic and military means to enforce its decisions. However, since the United States did not join, the League never achieved its intentions. While the League did attempt to halt the aggressiveness of Hitler's Germany, their inherent weakness prevented them from stopping World War II. liberty : In the political sense, this usually means freedom. mandate : A territory that was given to a European nation to administer by the League of Nations following the end of World War I. Mao Zedong : (1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People’s Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976. market economy : An economy based on free trade and supply and demand. Meiji : (1852-1912) Emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912. He was responsible for the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the rapid modernization and industrialization of Japan. Meiji Restoration : The restoration of the Emperor Meiji to power in Japan, overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868. mercantilism : The policy of building a nation's wealth by exporting more goods than it imports. Colonies are instrumental in this policy as they supply their parent nations with raw materials that are used to produce finished goods, and then exported back to the colonies. Colonies not only served as a source for the raw materials, but also as an exclusive market for the parent country. Middle East : Geo-Political designation of the area stretching from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the western side of the Indian subcontinent. Consists of countries such as Israel, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Middle Kingdom (China) : Term that ancient China used to refer to themselves. The believed they were the center of the Earth, or the Middle Kingdom. military : The armed forces of a nation. missionary : A person who spreads the teachings of a religion. Monroe Doctrine : (1823) A political policy of the United States by President James Monroe that states the Western Hemisphere is closed to European interference. nationalism : Pride in one’s country or culture, often excessive in nature. natural resources : Various materials found in nature used in manufacturing such as wood, coal, and oil. natural rights : Concept of John Locke’s that states all people have the right to life, liberty, and property. Nazi : Name of German National Socialist Party, which gained control of Germany in 1933 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. New Economic Policy : An economic policy of Vladimir Lenin’s in the Soviet Union where government controlled most banks and industry, but did allow some private ownership. New Imperialism : A policy of economic, political, and social of one country by another. Industrialized countries sought control of other countries for raw materials and new markets. occupation (military) : The control of one country by another through the stationing of military troops and military government. Open Door Policy : A policy of the United States that stated China should be open to all nations that which to trade with them. This policy did not include the consent of the Chinese, and was another form of imperialism. Opium War : In the early 19th century, Great Britain began importing opium, processed from poppy plants grown in the Crown Colony of India, into China. Chinese officials attempted to ban the importation of the highly addictive opium, but ultimately failed. The British declared war on China in a series of conflicts called the Opium Wars. Superior British military technology allowed them to claim victory and subject the Chinese to a series of unequal treaties. Panama Canal : A canal that crosses the isthmus of Panama connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Built by the United States between 1904 and 1914. parliamentary democracy : A form of government where the citizens elect members to represent them in a parliament, or legislative assembly. Perry, Matthew : (1794-1858) Commodore. United States Navy officer who is responsible for opening Japan to trade and imperialism. protectorate : A country or region that is controlled by a more powerful country. raw materials : Various materials found in nature used in manufacturing such as wood, coal, and oil. republic : A political system in which a country is ruled by law, has representative government, and is democratic in nature. Rhodes, Cecil : (1853-1902) British statesman who was instrumental in assuring British dominance of southern Africa. He founded the De Beers Mining Company, eventually controlling 90% of the world’s diamond production. After becoming prime minister of the Cape Colony (now South Africa) in 1890, he used his influence to strengthen British control over the region. His master plan was to establish a Cape to Cairo railroad line that would link British colonial interests in Africa between Egypt and the Cape Colony in southern Africa. The Boers, however, provided heavy and eventually armed resistance to this proposal. After authorizing an aggressive invasion of the Boer Republic of Transvall which ended poorly, Rhodes was removed from office. However, the seeds of the Boer War had been sown. Roosevelt Corollary : A political policy of the United States by President Theodore Roosevelt that states only the United States could intervene in the affairs of South America. Russo-Japanese War : (1904-1905) War between Russia and Japan over imperial possessions. Japan emerges victorious. sati : The ritual suicide of a wife after her husband’s death in Hindu/Indian culture. Scramble For Africa : Term given for the rapid invasion of Africa by the various European powers. This began imperialism in Africa. Sepoy : A soldier working for the British East India Company, recruited from the native population of India. Sepoy Mutiny : (1857-1859) A revolt by the hired Hindu and Muslim soldiers of the British East India Company. It began as a result of the rifle cartridges that were distributed to the Sepoys had to be bitten to remove a cover before being inserted into a gun. Rumors circulated among the Sepoys that this cover had been greased with beef and pork fat. This angered Muslim Sepoys who were not supposed to consume pork, and the Hindu Sepoys who were not supposed to eat beef. Thus, the Sepoys revolted against the British army, which eventually ended the conflict through use of force. This resulted in the British government officially taking control of India, making it a colony. Shaka Zulu : (1787?-1828) During Shaka’s rule, the Zulu broadened their land claims throughout southern Africa. Eventually, the Zulu came into the conflict with the British army as they expanded their control over southern Africa and invaded the homeland of the Zulu. Despite early victories, the Zulu were eventually defeated by the technology and vast resources at the command of the British troops. Soon, all of southern Africa would come under British control. Sino-Japanese War : (1894-1895) Japan’s imperialistic war against China to gain control of natural resources and markets for their goods. It ended with the Treaty of Portsmouth which granted Japan Chinese port city trading rights, control of Manchuria, the annexation of the island of Sakhalin, and Korea became its protectorate. slave : A person forced to work for another with no payment or freedom to seek work elsewhere. A slave can be bought and sold. slave trade : The buying and selling of people for the purposes of slavery. Social Darwinism : A social theory which states that the level a person rises to in society and wealth is determined by their genetic background. sovereignty : The right of a country to govern itself without interference. Spanish-American War : (1898) A war between the United States and Spain over the control of Cuba. The United States won this war and gained independence for Cuba, and control of the Philippines. spheres of influence : An area of one country under the control of another. In China, these areas guaranteed specific trading privileges to each imperialist nation within its respective sphere. Suez Canal : A canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It was a vital trade route in the British Empire during imperialism, and continues to link North Africa and Europe to Asia today. Sun Yixian : (1866-1925) Chinese nationalist leader who fought to end foreign domination. He formed the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party, which overthrew the Manchu Dynasty and established a republican form of government in its place. Also known as Sun Yat-sen. Taiping Rebellion : (1850-1864) A revolt by the people of China against the ruling Manchu Dynasty because of their failure to deal effectively with the opium problem and the interference of foreigners. Treaty of Nanjing : (1842) An unequal treaty between Great Britain and China resulting from the Opium War. The treaty stated that China was to reimburse Britain for costs incurred fighting the war. The Chinese were forced to open several ports to British trade, provide Britain with complete control of Hong Kong, and grant extraterritoriality to British citizens living in China. Treaty of Portsmouth : (1905) The treaty that ended the Sino-Japanese War. It granted Japan Chinese port city trading rights, control of Manchuria, the annexation of the island of Sakhalin, and Korea became its protectorate. tribalism : Feelings of loyalty to individual tribes, and the cause of much war and strife in modern Africa. unequal treaty : A treaty forced upon a country being dominated by another during Imperialism. These treaties often gave the imperialistic nation the ability to do whatever they needed to do in pursuit of profit. United Nations : An international body composed of many countries that seeks to promote peace, prosperity, and cooperation around the world. It was formed in 1945 at the end of World War II. Vietnam Conflict/War : A war in the country of Vietnam, first between the French and Vietnamese, as France was attempting to hold onto its colony. The second war was between the United States and the communist forces of North Vietnam, as the U.S. was attempting to keep South Vietnam free from communism. The North Vietnamese eventually won, forcing the United States to withdraw. westernization : To adopt western ideas and culture. White Man's Burden, The : A poem by Rudyard Kipling written in 1899. It is also the name given to the idea that the culture of the native populations where European imperialism was occurring were inferior to western nations. Some interpreted Kipling’s poem to mean that it was the duty of imperializing nations to bring western culture and sensibility to the savage native populations that were encountered in far off lands. Zulu : The name of a tribe of South Africa people who live in the northern part of Natal. They were the dominate tribe in the late 19th century when European Imperialism began. They resisted both the Boers and the British, but ultimately lost their homeland and freedom by 1879.