Imperialism

• Imperialism involves a strong nation seeking political, economic, or social dominance over another country.

Leopold II

• Leopold II claimed his primary motive for establishing the Congo colony was to abolish the slave trade and promote Christianity.
• Leopold II licensed companies that exploited Africans by forcing them to collect sap from rubber plants.

Social Darwinism

• Social Darwinism applies Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies.
• Social Darwinism was used to justify imperialistic expansion.

Berlin Conference

• The Berlin Conference occurred in 1884-1885.
• Representatives of European nations agreed upon rules for the European colonization of Africa at the Berlin Conference.

Indirect Rule

• Indirect rule relied on existing political rulers.
• The British would ask a local ruler to accept British authority in order to rule.

Direct Rule

• Europeans viewed Africans as unable to handle the complex business of running a country.
• Based on this attitude, the Europeans developed a policy called paternalism.

Paternalism

• Paternalism is a policy of treating subject people as if they were children, providing for their needs but not giving them rights.

Assimilation

• Assimilation involves a nation forcing or encouraging a subject people to adopt its institutions and customs.

Opium War

• The Opium War was a conflict between Britain and China, lasting from 1839 to 1842.
• The war was over Britain's opium trade in China.

Extraterritorial Rights

• Extraterritorial rights exempt foreign residents from the laws of the country they reside in.

Taiping Rebellion

• The Taiping Rebellion was a mid-19th century rebellion against the Qing Dynasty in China.
• Huang led the Taiping Rebellion.

Sphere of Influence

• A sphere of influence is a foreign nation in which a nation has control over trade and other economic activities.

Open Door Policy

• The United States proposed the Open Door Policy in 1899.
• All nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China under the Open Door Policy.

Boxer Rebellion

• The Boxer Rebellion was a 1900 revolt in China.
• It aimed at ending foreign influence in the country.

Treaty of Kanagawa

• The Treaty of Kanagawa was an 1854 agreement between the United States and Japan.
• It opened two Japanese ports to the US and allowed the United States to set up an embassy in Japan.

Meiji Era

• The Meiji Era was a period of Japanese history from 1867 to 1912.
• Mutsuhito ruled the country during the Meiji Era.

Sino-Japanese War

• China broke an agreement regarding Korea, leading to rebellions against Korea’s king who requested China's military assistance.
• Japan protested and sent troops to Korea to fight the Chinese, resulting in the Sino-Japanese War in June 1894.

Russo-Japanese War

• The Russo-Japanese War was a 1904-1905 conflict between Russia and Japan.
• It was sparked by the two countries' efforts to dominate Manchuria and Korea.

Annexation

• Annexation is the adding of a region to the territory of an existing political unit.

Imperialism is when a strong nation seeks control over another country. This involved political, economic, or social dominance. Social Darwinism was used to justify imperialistic expansion.