MUIDS Social Studies

Imperialism: Study Guide

Name: ___Milly Jantarakolica_________________________ Group #: _____1003______

Imperialism
Section 1: Imperialism Maps (slides 2 6)
1.

What two economic reasons did Europe have for imperialism? (What did they want from the colonies,
and what did they want the colonies to do)
First, to get materials and goods from their conquered country. Second, to sell their goods to the conquered
countries.
2. What are the 6 European empires which seem to appear on each of the maps?
United Kingdoms, France, Portugal, Spain, Russia, and Netherlands.
3. What are some major changes in the territories of empires between the years 1660 and 1914? Identify at
least 3 major changes or trends.
A lot more European countries joined and conquered more.
Before that only small parts of Africa was conquered, but later on almost the whole Africa was conquered.
At the same time, South America gain more independence.
4. What are a few non-European empires included in the last map showing the world in 1914?
Ottoman, United States, and Japan
Section 2: Imperialism Graphs (slides 7-9)
5. According to the graphs, which empire controls most of the world by the year 1914?
Great Britain controls most of the world by the year 1914.
6. About how many square miles of territory does France control? Great Britain?
France controls 4,000,000 square miles of territory and Great Britain controls 13,000,000 square miles of
territory.
7. About how many people does the British Empire control?
British empire controls about 470,000,000 people.
8. According to the chart, what percentage of Africa was conquered by European countries and/or the
United States?
Africa was conquered by European countries and/or the United States by 90 percent.
What percentage of Asia was conquered?
Asia was conquered by European countries and/or the United States by about 58 percent.
What percentage of Polynesia?
Polynesia conquered by European countries and/or the United States by about 100 percent.
9. Which continent (1) was mostly free from European rule by 1914?
America was mostly free from European rule by 1914.
10. Which continents (2) were almost completely controlled by European empires by 1914?

MUIDS Social Studies

Imperialism: Study Guide

Polynesia and Australia were almost completely controlled by European empires by 1914.

Section 3: Imperialism in China (slides 10-15)

11. Who do the people sitting around the table represent?
Germany, British, France, Japan
12. What does the pie on the table represent?
China
13. Who does the person in the background represent? What do you think he wants?
China (people of China). He wants to stop them from dividing up China and taking control of China.
14. What two countries fought in the Opium Wars?
China and The West
15. What was the main reason for this conflict?
The Europe wanted to have a big role in trades and made China trade opium with them. However, China
decided to band opium from their country and it made Europes economy go down, so Europeans became
mad.
16. Examine the chart. Why do you think the war began in 1839?
Probably, because the rate of opium increased rapidly on 1839 which likely cause a problem to China and
causes the government of China to band opium from their country.
17. What problems did opium cause for the people of China?
The stem outflow of silver from China.
18. What type of rebellion was the Boxer Rebellion?
A peasant uprising.
19. What did the Boxers hope to accomplish?
To drive all foreigners from China.
20. What were the results of the uprising?
Missionaries and other foreigners were being killed all over Northern China, and in Peking the Boxer
attacked foreign diplomats who took refuge in the foreign legations.
21. What had happened to China by 1912 as a result of the failed Boxer Rebellion?
The Chinese were forced to sign a peace treaty. The terms of argument signed in 1901 were the harshest
imposed on China by Western powers.
22. What nations set up spheres of influence in China?
China, Russia, Japan, German, British, and French

MUIDS Social Studies

Imperialism: Study Guide

Section 4: The Scramble for Africa (slides 16-18)

23. Why did many European powers seek to conquer Africa?
By the industrial revolution, for cheap labor, raw material, and new markets
24. What was the result of the Berlin Conference?
They created the rules for effective occupation of conquered lands, ensuring that the division of Africa
would take place without war among European empires.
25. About how much of Africa was controlled by European powers in 1880?
Only a small part of Africa was controlled by European powers in 1880.
26. Why do you think these colonial powers are only along the coast?
I think the colonial powers are only along the coast because it is easy for Europeans to reach and they
probably had advantages being around the seas.
27. What percentage of Africa remained independent following the Scramble for Africa (Berlin
Conference)?
3% of Africa remained independent following the Scramble for Africa.
28. Which two European countries held the most territory?
France and British.
Section 5: Imperialism in India (slides 18-25)
29. According to the reading, what is the main reason that the British were interested in India?
They wanted to get cotton from India.
30. Who were the Sepoys?
Indian soldiers trained by the British.
31. How did the British begin to irritate the Indian people (give at least 3 examples)
The British began to aggravate (decrease) Hindu population of India, made English the official language and
prohibit Indian traditions such as sutee (Hindu widows threw themselves on their husbands funeral fires
and infanticide (the killing of certain infant children), and allowed Christian missionary activity which
angered the Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims of India.
32. Based on the reading, why did the Sepoys rebel?
They heard rumors that the cartridges for their new rifles were greased with pork lard and beef fat. Since the
cow is sacred to Hindus, and the pig is abhorrent(disgusting) to Muslims, all of the Sepoys are outraged and
they rebelled.
33. Based on the reading and the picture, what ways did the British use to punish those responsible for the
rebellion?
The British victories were accompanied by widespread punishments, and in many cases, unarmed Sepoys
were bayonetted, sown up in the carcasses of pig or cows, or fired from cannons.

MUIDS Social Studies

Imperialism: Study Guide

34. What did the British do in response to the Sepoy Rebellion?

The British Parliament passed the Government of India Act which transferred authority for India to Queen
Victoria.
35. How did the opening of the Suez Canal affect Britains control of India?
It reduces time for sea passage from Britain to India from 3 months to 3 weeks.
36. What was a negative effect of the British takeover?
More and more British goods were imported to India, effectively destroying many Indian crafts.
37. What were some positive effects for the Indian people?
An increasing number of factories, railroads, hospitals, schools, and roads were built.
38. What is the message of this cartoon? How does it relate to imperialism?
In this cartoon, the British use the water of the Indian people to produce coke or wash the factory floor when
the people of Indian dont even have water to use or drink. The message of this cartoon is that the British
took all of the Indians stuff to use it in an unnecessary way and that the Indians dont have enough of it to
use for their living. It relates to imperialism by showing that countries that conquer other countries such as
British conquering India, take over of their resources and the people have no rights to say anything.

MUIDS Social Studies

Imperialism: Study Guide

Causes of
Imperialism
(why did Europe seek
colonies?)

1. To sell goods to
markets / new markets

Effects of
imperialism
(what did Europe gain
from their colonial
empires?, How were the
conquered people
affected?)

Responses
to
imperialism
(how did the conquered
people respond to being
taken over?)

2. To get slaves/ cheap

labours

1. Gain control of
trading industry

1. Rebellion (ex.
Sepoys)

3. To get raw materials

2. Railroads, hospital,
schools, and factories
are built.

2. Resisting to follow
orders (ex. Ghandi)

4. Culture are spread

5. Trade deficit

3. Better weapons are

produced
4. Famine/ starving
5. Diseases spread and
people die

3. Fusing culture
4. Adapting
5. Rejecting