IMPERIALISM BANNER FREEMANPEDIA WORLD HISTORY II.JPG

The Age of Imperialism was a time period beginning around 1870 when modern, relatively developed nations were taking over less developed areas, colonizing them, or influencing them in order to expand their own power. Although imperialist practices have existed for thousands of years, the term "Age of Imperialism" generally refers to the activities of nations such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States in the early 18th through the middle 20th centuries, (for example, the "Scramble for Africa" and the "Open Door Policy" in China.)

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Nationalism motivated European nations to compete for colonial possessions. European economic, military, and political power forced colonized countries to trade on European terms. Industrially-produced goods flooded colonial markets and displaced their traditional industries. Colonized peoples resisted European domination and responded in diverse ways to Western influences.
Forms of imperialism

  • Colonies
  • Protectorates
  • Spheres of influence

Imperialism in Africa and Asia

  • European domination
  • European conflicts carried to the colonies
  • Christian missionary efforts
  • Spheres of influence in China
  • Suez Canal
  • East India Company’s domination of Indian states
  • American opening of Japan to trade

Responses of colonized peoples

  • Armed conflicts (Events leading to the Boxer Rebellion in China)
  • Rise of nationalism (first Indian nationalist party founded in the mid-1800s; Indian National Congress, below)
GEOGRAPHY BANNER FREEMANPEDIA WORLD HISTORY II.JPG

CLIP ONE: 19th CENTURY IMPERIALISM (from CRASH COURSE WORLD HISTORY)

CLIP TWO: EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM in AFRICA (from DISCOVERY)

CLIP THREE: BRIEF HISTORY of MALARIA (from NPR)

CLIP FOUR: MISSIONARY Dr. DAVID LIVINGSTONE, I PRESUME (from 1939 film Stanley & Livingstone)

CLIP FIVE: SUEZ CANAL (Time Lapse Video of the Entire ride from the Great Bitter Lake to the Mediterranean)

CLIP SIX: CHINA & THE OPIUM WAR

CLIP SEVEN: SEPOY REBELLION in INDA (from MANGAL PANDEY: THE RISING)

CLIP SEVEN:  JAPAN & COMMODORE PERRY (from CRASH COURSE WORLD HISTORY)

CLIP EIGHT: The BOXER REBELLION

CLIP NINE: KING LEOPOLD in the CONGO (from the BBC... WARNING: Some scenes of re-created violence are graphic, but fake)

CLIP TEN: INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (from MACOMI KIDS)