Imperialism Study Guide

Source materials: Chapter 11 - Sections 1-4 (pp. 339-356 - skip pp.342-344)

Crash Course video on Imperialism
DBQs on Africa and India
Background reading on rise of Ottoman Empire

1. Define imperialism.
- The seizure of a country or territory by stronger power in the 19th and 20th centuries to
take advantages of raw materials and markets
2. What were the four reasons behind imperialism?
a. Economic
B. cultural superiority
C. militarism
D. nationalism

3. What are Social Darwinism and paternalism?

- Social Darwinism: use of Darwins theories of evolution and natural selection and applying
them to human society, which led many Europeans to have racist beliefs that they were
superior to other cultures
- Paternalism: a policy that some Europeans used to govern colonies in a parental way by
providing for their needs, but not giving them rights and not training local people to
govern

4. What was the race by European nations to acquire colonies in Africa called? Who Juan?
(get it? won!)
a. Scramble For Africa
b. Britain won

5. What were the obstacles that stopped Europeans from exploring the interior of Africa before
the 2nd half of the 19th century?
1. Diseases
2. African Armies
3. Fast Flowing rivers

6. What were the technological advances that allowed Europeans to take over Africa?
- Steamboat
- Medicines
- Maxim Machinegun
 7. Who was Menelik II?
- Emperor of Ethiopia who resisted European control and built up a large arsenal of
modern weapons, which were then used to defeat an invading Italian force in 1896,
making it the only African nation to remain independent during imperialism
8. What is the difference between direct and indirect rule? Which was more widespread and
why?
- Direct: a system of governmental rule in which the central authority has power
over the country
- Indirect: ruled inside the country by local officials and private countries

9. What important resources were Europeans after in Africa?

- Metals, minerals, cotton??????

10. How were the rules for the division of Africa determined?
-

11. Which two African nations remained independent after the Scramble for Africa?
- Ethiopia
- Liberia
12. What were the positive and negative effects of Europeans drawing random boundaries
between their colonies?
-grouped unlikely people together which lead to fighting
- split up people that wanted to be together
- creating bigger countires lead to more resources

13. Define assimilation.

- a policy that the local populations of a colony would gradually over time adopt the
culture of the governing colonial power

14. Describe the Ottomans.

- A group of nomadic turks
- Saw themselves as ghazis

15. Who conquered Constantinople?

- Mehmed II

16. What were the accomplishments of Suleyman the Great?

1. Conquered parts of Southeastern Europe.
2. He won control of the entire eastern Mediterranean
3. Revised the laws of the empire
4. Allowed people to follow their own religion
 17. Who tried to modernize Egypt, and how?
- Muhammad Ali tried to modernize Egypt
- Initiated many reforms for their military and economy
- Pushed Egyptians to grow a cash crop cotton

18. How did the British assume control of the Suez Canal?
- The ruler of egypt had to give control to british when they couldnt repay loans

19. Who fought the Crimean War, and why?

- It was britain, france, ottoman vs russia
- Russia wanted the sea trading post that the ottoman empire had
- Balance of Power

20. Define geopolitics.

- An interest in taking land for its strategic locations or products

21. What are spheres of influence, and how do they relate to Persia?
- Spheres of Influence: a country or area in which another country has power to affect
developments although it has no formal authority.
-

22. What made Ottoman territory so strategically important?

- They controlled access to the Mediterranean and Atlantic Sea Trade

23. Why was India the jewel in the crown of the British empire?
- Its 300 million people was a large potential market for British made goods
- Was a major supplier of raw materials

24. Who were the sepoys? And the Sikhs?

- Sepoys: Another name for the Indian Soldiers
- Sikhs: A religious group that had been hostile to the mughals, also remained loyal to the
British became soldiers for Brits after Sepoy Mutiny
25. Define Raj.
- Direct British Rule over India

26. WHAT WERE BOTH THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF EUROPEAN
IMPERIALISM? (particularly on the people of Africa and India)