Western countries colonize large areas of Africa and
Asia, leading to political and cultural changes.
MAIN IDEA: Ignoring the claims of
African ethnic groups, kingdoms,
and city-states, Europeans
established colonies.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW: African
nations continue to feel the effects
of the colonial presence more than
100 years later.
European
countries
colonized areas in
Africa south of
the Sahara; as a
result the local
populations were
enslaved,
exploited, and
sometimes
exterminated.
 Armies, rivers, disease discourage exploration
 Imperialism — seizure of a country or
territory by a stronger country
 Missionaries, explorers, humanitarians reach
interior of Africa
Three motives behind the European race for colonies.
Two technological advantages Europeans had over the Africans.
Two factors within Africa that made it vulnerable to conquest.
Two outcomes of the Berlin Conference in 1884.
Three groups that clashed over territory and resources in South Africa.
One outcome of the Boer War.
Three motives behind the European race for colonies.
Two technological advantages Europeans had over the Africans.
Two factors within Africa that made it vulnerable to conquest.
Two outcomes of the Berlin Conference in 1884.
Three groups that clashed over territory and resources in South Africa.
One outcome of the Boer War.
 Race for colonies grows out of national pride
 Racism: belief that one race is better than
others
 Social Darwinism: survival of the fittest
applied to human society
I contend that we [Britons] are the first race in the world, and
the more of the world we inhabit, the better it is for the
human race. … It is our duty to seize every opportunity of
acquiring more territory and we should keep this one idea
steadily before our eyes that more territory simply means
more of the Anglo-Saxon race, more of the best, the most
human, most honorable race the world possesses.
— Cecil Rhodes, Confession of Faith, 1887
1A – Is Cecil Rhodes in favor of or opposed to imperialism,
and what rationale does he give for his stance.
1B – What one idea does Rhodes think Great Britain should
be focused on?
Three motives behind the European race for colonies.
Two technological advantages Europeans had over the Africans.
Two factors within Africa that made it vulnerable to conquest.
Two outcomes of the Berlin Conference in 1884.
Three groups that clashed over territory and resources in South Africa.
One outcome of the Boer War.
 Technological inventions like steam engine,
Maxim gun help conquest
 Perfection of quinine protects Europeans
from malaria
Three motives behind the European race for colonies.
Two technological advantages Europeans had over the Africans.
Two factors within Africa that made it vulnerable to conquest.
Two outcomes of the Berlin Conference in 1884.
Three groups that clashed over territory and resources in South Africa.
One outcome of the Boer War.
 Within Africa, Africans
are divided by language
and culture
 Various groups were
easy to set against each
other.
What does this map say about African
resistance to imperialism?
Three motives behind the European race for colonies.
Two technological advantages Europeans had over the Africans.
Two factors within Africa that made it vulnerable to conquest.
Two outcomes of the Berlin Conference in 1884.
Three groups that clashed over territory and resources in South Africa.
One outcome of the Boer War.
 14 nations agree on rules for division (1884–
85): countries must claim land and prove
ability to control it
 By 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia are free of
European control
Three motives behind the European race for colonies.
Two technological advantages Europeans had over the Africans.
Two factors within Africa that made it vulnerable to conquest.
Two outcomes of the Berlin Conference in 1884.
Three groups that clashed over territory and resources in South Africa.
One outcome of the Boer War.
Zulus Fight the British
 British defeat Zulus and gain control of Zulu nation
in 1887
Boers and British Settle in the Cape
 Boers, or Dutch farmers, take Africans’ land,
establish large farms
 Boers clash with British over land, slaves move north
to escape British
The Boer War
 Boer War between British, Boers begins in 1899
 British win; Boer republics united in Union of South
Africa (1910)
Three motives behind the European race for colonies.
Two technological advantages Europeans had over the Africans.
Two factors within Africa that made it vulnerable to conquest.
Two outcomes of the Berlin Conference in 1884.
Three groups that clashed over territory and resources in South Africa.
One outcome of the Boer War.
6A – What do you
think the arms in
this cartoon are
meant to depict?
6B – What does the
representation of
England suggest
about the
cartoonist’s view of
British imperialism?
MAIN IDEA: European nations
expanded their empires by seizing
territories from Muslim states.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW: Political
events in this vital resource area
are still influenced by actions from
the imperialistic period.
In the 18th and
19th Centuries,
the political
and economic
power of the
Islamic
countries was
overwhelmed
by European
colonialism.
Death of Suleyman
• Series of weak rulers, corruption, decline
Rise of Nationalism
• Inspired Greeks, Serbs and others to fight Ottomans
Geopolitics
• Wanted control of Ottoman Empire because of location
Suez Canal
• Egypt had to turn to France to finance
Discovery of oil in Persia
• Granted access to Britain and Russia to finance
Death of Suleyman
• Series of weak rulers, corruption, decline
Rise of Nationalism
• Inspired Greeks, Serbs and others to fight Ottomans
Geopolitics
• Wanted control of Ottoman Empire because of location
Suez Canal
• Egypt had to turn to France to finance
Discovery of oil in Persia
• Granted access to Britain and Russia to finance
Death of Suleyman
• Series of weak rulers, corruption, decline
Rise of Nationalism
• Inspired Greeks, Serbs and others to fight Ottomans
Geopolitics
• Wanted control of Ottoman Empire because of location
Suez Canal
• Egypt had to turn to France to finance
Discovery of oil in Persia
• Granted access to Britain and Russia to finance
Russia’s desire for warm water port
(first nurses, first journalists)
Death of Suleyman
• Series of weak rulers, corruption, decline
Rise of Nationalism
• Inspired Greeks, Serbs and others to fight Ottomans
Geopolitics
• Wanted control of Ottoman Empire because of location
Suez Canal
• Egypt had to turn to France to finance
Discovery of oil in Persia
• Granted access to Britain and Russia to finance
Death of Suleyman
• Series of weak rulers, corruption, decline
Rise of Nationalism
• Inspired Greeks, Serbs and others to fight Ottomans
Geopolitics
• Wanted control of Ottoman Empire because of location
Suez Canal
• Egypt had to turn to France to finance
Discovery of oil in Persia
• Granted access to Britain and Russia to finance
THE SUEZ CANAL
 Man made canal connecting the Red Sea with
the Mediterranean Sea
Huge importance to trade and military
 French help finance the building of the canal.
Egypt is unable to pay even the interest on the
$450 project
British insist on overseeing financial control
Death of Suleyman
• Series of weak rulers, corruption, decline
Rise of Nationalism
• Inspired Greeks, Serbs and others to fight Ottomans
Geopolitics
• Wanted control of Ottoman Empire because of location
Suez Canal
• Egypt had to turn to Britain to finance
Discovery of oil in Persia
• Granted access to Britain and Russia to finance
MAIN IDEA: As the Mughal Empire
declined, Britain seized Indian
territory and soon controlled
almost the whole subcontinent.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW: India, the
second most populated nation in
the world, has its political roots in
this colony.
British Rule in India
 Colonialism leads to Imperialism
British East India Company
Sepoys
 “Jewel in the Crown”
 Railroads and Plantation Crops
 British Economic Control
 Sepoy Mutiny
 Indian Nationalism
Partition
Racism
Call for self-government
Westernization
MAIN IDEA: Demand for Asian
products drove Western
imperialists to seek possession of
Southeast Asian lands.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW: Southeast
Asian independence struggles in
the 20th century have their roots in
this period of imperialism.
1
• What happened as a result of the
Opium War?
2
• What was the Taiping Rebellion?
3
• How did foreigners begin to gain
control over China?
4
• What was the Boxer Rebellion?