AP European History AMSCO Guided Notes
7.6: New Imperialism: Motivations and Methods
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP European History Guided Notes
AMSCO 7.6 - New Imperialism: Motivations and Methods
Essential Questions
- What were the motivations and technological advances that helped advance European imperialism from 1815 to 1914?
I. Motives of Imperialism in Africa and Asia
1. How did the Industrial Revolution create economic motivations for European imperialism in Africa and Asia?
A. Search for Raw Materials and Markets
1. What raw materials and resources did European industrial powers seek to obtain from their colonies?
2. Why did European nations shift their imperial focus from the Americas to Asia and Africa in the 19th century?
1. Trade with China
1. What was the balance of trade problem that Britain faced with China, and how did Britain attempt to solve it?
2. What were the terms of the Treaty of Nanking and how did it change China's relationship with European powers?
3. How did China's defeat in the Opium War contribute to later internal conflicts and the fall of the Qing Dynasty?
2. England in India
1. How did the British East India Company's role change after the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857?
2. What resources and markets did India provide to Britain, and what investments did Britain make in India?
3. Looking to Africa
1. What geographic and health obstacles initially prevented European colonization of Africa, and how did this change in the 19th century?
2. How did Europeans exploit African labor and resources after establishing control over the continent?
II. Myths of Cultural and Racial Superiority
1. What ideological justifications did Europeans use to rationalize their imperial expansion and subjugation of other peoples?
A. The White Man's Burden
1. What was Social Darwinism and how did Herbert Spencer use it to justify European imperialism?
2. How did Rudyard Kipling's poem 'The White Man's Burden' reflect European attitudes toward colonized peoples?
B. Mission Civilisatrice
1. What was the mission civilisatrice and what specific methods did the French use to implement this concept in their colonies?
2. How did the French believe that adopting French culture would benefit African colonial subjects?
III. Technological and Industrial Developments
1. How did technological advances during the Second Industrial Revolution enable European powers to establish and maintain global empires?
A. Military Technologies
1. Advances in Weaponry
1. What were the two major phases in the revolution of weaponry that gave Europeans military advantages over colonized peoples?
2. How did weapons like the Minié ball, breech-loading rifle, and Maxim machine gun increase European military effectiveness in colonial conflicts?
2. Medical Technologies
1. How did advances in medical science and public health initiatives strengthen European military power in colonial conflicts?
a. Public Health Projects
1. What was the purpose of the Public Health Act of 1848 in Britain and what specific health measures did it implement?
2. How did European colonial powers introduce health services in their colonies, and what were the limitations and ethical problems with these services?
b. Advances in Medical Care
1. What was Louis Pasteur's germ theory and how did it lead to practical medical advances like pasteurization and vaccines?
2. How did Joseph Lister's research on antiseptic surgery reduce mortality rates and improve military effectiveness?
3. What was the significance of anesthesia development in making surgery safer and more acceptable to patients?
c. Preventing Malaria
1. Why was malaria such a significant obstacle to European exploration and colonization of Africa?
2. How did the discovery and mass production of quinine change European access to the African interior?
B. Improving Communication and Transportation
1. Advances in Transportation Technology
1. How did steamships and gunboats improve European access to colonial territories and rivers?
2. What role did railroad construction play in European colonial expansion and resource extraction?
3. How did the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 facilitate European imperial expansion and trade with Asia?
2. Advances in Communication Technology
1. How did the telegraph and undersea cables transform communication between European powers and their colonies?
2. What role did photography play in documenting and justifying European imperialism, and how was it also used to expose colonial abuses?
Key Terms
Age of Imperialism
balance of trade
"The White Man's Burden"
mission civilisatrice
Minié ball
breech-loading rifle
machine gun
Louis Pasteur
Joseph Lister
germ theory
antiseptic
anesthesia
malaria
quinine
telegraph