Imperialism and Colonialism Flashcards

Grade 8 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Key vocabulary for understanding the global expansion of European and American power in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Flashcards

Imperialism

Policy of extending a nation's power over other territories through political, economic, or military control.

Colonialism

Establishing and running colonies in other lands; exploiting local resources and labor for the benefit of the colonizing country.

Berlin Conference (1884–1885)

Meeting where European powers divided Africa without African input; created arbitrary borders still affecting the continent today.

Social Darwinism

Misapplication of evolutionary theory to justify racial hierarchy; used to claim imperial conquest was 'natural' and 'inevitable.'

White Man's Burden

Phrase from Rudyard Kipling's 1899 poem used to justify imperial rule as a duty to 'civilize' non-European peoples.

Spanish-American War (1898)

Short conflict after which the U.S. gained Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines from Spain.

Annexation of Hawaii (1898)

U.S. takeover of Hawaii for its strategic Pacific location and sugar industry despite opposition from Queen Liliuokalani.

Platt Amendment (1901)

U.S. law that gave America the right to intervene in Cuba and maintain a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Philippine-American War (1899–1902)

Conflict after the U.S. refused to grant independence to the Philippines following the Spanish-American War; killed over 200,000 Filipinos.

Sphere of Influence

A region where one country has dominant political and economic control, even without formal colonial rule.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy seeking equal trade access to China for all nations, preventing any single power from monopolizing Chinese trade.

Queen Liliuokalani

The last queen of Hawaii, who was deposed in 1893 by American sugar planters and businessmen backed by U.S. Marines.

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