Democratic Reform & Imperialism

• These notes cover key terms, events, and concepts related to democratic reform, activism, imperialism, and technological advancements.

Reform Bill

• The Reform Bill of 1832, passed by Parliament, extended voting rights to many middle-class men.

Suffrage Movement in England

• Queen Victoria reigned in England for nearly 64 years during this period.
• The Women's Social and Political Union spearheaded the campaign for women's suffrage, employing rallies, parades, and speeches from 1903.
• Women in both Britain and the United States gained the right to vote after WWI.

Dreyfus Affair

• Alfred Dreyfus, a French army officer, was falsely accused of treason in the 1890s due to anti-Semitism.
• Dreyfus was initially found guilty.
• Evidence later proved he was framed.

Anti-Semitism

• Prejudice or discrimination against Jewish people.

Zionism

• A movement originating in the 1890s to establish a separate Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Dominion

• A self-governing colony under British control, empowered to enact its laws and manage its affairs.

Native People of New Zealand and Australia

• The Māori were native to New Zealand.
• The Aborigines were native to Australia.
• The British recognized Māori land rights, unlike the rights afforded to Aborigines in Australia.

Home Rule

• The right of a country or region to govern its internal affairs under the control of another country.

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

• A military force that fought for Ireland's independence from British rule.
• Britain divided Ireland into Northern Ireland, which remained part of Britain, and Southern Ireland, which became independent.

U.S. Territorial Expansion in the Early 1800s

• The U.S. acquired Florida, part of the Oregon Territory, and land from the Louisiana Purchase.
• Territories including Texas, California, and the Southwest were later acquired from Mexico.

Manifest Destiny

• The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Indian Removal Act

• The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forcibly relocated Native Americans west to Oklahoma, a journey known as the Trail of Tears.

Conflict Between Mexico and Texas

• American settlers in Texas revolted against Mexican rule in 1836 and gained independence.
• The conflict concluded in 1848 with Mexico surrendering, ceding California and a large portion of the Southwest to the U.S.

Conflict Between the Southern and Northern States

• Reliance on slave labor in the southern states clashed with northern opposition to slavery.
• Tensions over slavery led to the Civil War.
• Southern states opposed Abraham Lincoln's stance against the expansion of slavery.
• Following Lincoln's election in 1860, they seceded and created the Confederate States of America.

Emancipation Proclamation

• The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, declared enslaved people in Confederate states free.

Imperialism

• A policy of expanding a country's power through diplomacy or military force.

Reasons for Imperialism

• Money
• National pride
• Racism
• Christian missionary efforts

Social Darwinism

• Applied Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection to human societies.
• Promoted the concept of "survival of the fittest."
• Racism and Social Darwinism were used to justify imperialism due to the belief in European superiority.

Survival of the Fittest

• The idea that only the strongest individuals or nations will thrive, while weaker ones will fail.

Scramble for Africa

• Rapid invasion, occupation, and division of African territories by European powers between 1881 and 1914.

Berlin Conference

• European nations established rules for claiming African land at this conference (1884-1885).

Groups Who Struggled Over South Africa

• The Zulu kingdom.
• The British
• The Boers (Dutch settlers).
• The Boers were Dutch settlers who migrated north during the Great Trek to avoid British rule.
• The British defeated the Boers, leading to the formation of the British-run Union of South Africa.

Ottoman Empire

• The Ottoman Empire was based in modern Turkey and controlled lands in eastern Europe, North Africa, and southwest Asia.
• Nationalism, corruption, financial chaos, and European takeovers led to the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.
• Examples of the break up include Greece gaining independence in 1830 and Serbia seeking self-rule.

Geopolitics

• Focuses on political power linked to geographic space.

Crimean War

• Russia fought the Ottomans in the 1850s for access to the Black Sea.
• Britain and France aided the Ottomans, resulting in Russia's defeat.

The Great Game

• A conflict between Russia and Britain over Persia and India.
• Britain defended India, while Russia sought expansion.
• Both sides eventually agreed not to take over Afghanistan.

Suez Canal

• A human-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.

Annexation of Hawaii

• American businessmen overthrew Queen Liliuokalani, leading to Hawaii becoming a U.S. territory in 1898.

Caudillos

• Military leaders or dictators in Latin America who sought to maintain power.

Monroe Doctrine

• Issued by President James Monroe in 1823, it warned European nations against interfering in the Americas.

José Martí

• A writer and leader of the Cuban independence movement against Spain.

Emilio Aguinaldo

• A Filipino nationalist who fought against Spanish and American control for Philippine independence.

U.S. Control of the Panama Canal

• The U.S. assisted Panama in gaining independence after Colombia refused a $10 million offer for canal rights.
• In return, the U.S. secured a ten-mile-wide zone to construct the Panama Canal.

Roosevelt Corollary

• An extension of the Monroe Doctrine (1904) asserting the U.S. as an "international police power" in the Western Hemisphere, justifying military interventions.

Sepoys

• Indian soldiers in the British East India Company's army.
• Sepoy Mutiny was triggered by offensive rifle cartridges greased with beef and pork fat.
• The Sepoy Mutiny failed due to divisions among Indians, including distrust between Hindus and Muslims.
• The British East India Company held vast lands and maintained its army led by British officers and staffed by sepoys.

Colony

• An area ruled by a foreign government.

Protectorate

• An area that manages its daily affairs but is controlled by an imperialist nation.

Sphere of Influence

• An area where an imperialist nation has exclusive economic rights.

Economic Imperialism

• Control of an independent nation by foreign businesses rather than foreign governments.

Systems of Control

• Direct Control: Used by France, involving direct governance of colonies due to the belief in native people's inability to govern themselves.
• Paternalism: A system where Europeans provided for the needs of the governed but did not grant them rights.
• Assimilation: A policy promoting the adoption of French culture by local populations.
• Indirect Control: Used by Britain and the United States, involving local rulers in daily affairs and councils to teach governance.

Thomas Edison

• Invented the electric light bulb and the phonograph.

Samuel Morse

• Invented the telegraph.

Alexander Graham Bell

• Invented the telephone.

Guglielmo Marconi

• Invented the first radio.

Henry Ford's Assembly Line

• Enabled the efficient and affordable production of cars.

Wright Brothers

• Developed the first motor-powered airplane in 1903.

Louis Pasteur

• Discovered that bacteria lived in food and could cause disease, leading to the understanding of bacteria's role in spreading illnesses.

Theory of Evolution

• All life on Earth evolved from simpler life forms over millions of years.

Classical Conditioning

• Ivan Pavlov demonstrated that a conditioned response could be paired with specific stimuli.

Psychoanalysis

• A therapy addressing psychological conflicts caused by subconscious forces.