World historyLesson 2 of 4 in the course Expansion in the Industrial Age

Motives, Justifications, and Tools of Industrial-Era Imperialism

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Industrial growth created a powerful demand for resources, customers, and secure trade routes. This lesson explains how the needs of businesses during the Second Industrial Revolution helped drive imperialism.

During the Second Industrial Revolution, new machines and industrial processes required materials that many industrial nations could not supply in sufficient quantities. Petroleum fueled engines, rubber was used for tires and valves, copper conducted heat and electricity, and palm oil lubricated machinery. Coal powered industry and helped transform iron into steel. Silver, lead, and other materials also served industrial and commercial uses.

All flashcards

Imperialism
A policy of gaining direct or indirect control over other territories for resources, markets, strategic advantages, or influence.
Why did industrial powers seek overseas markets?
Markets offered places to sell manufactured goods, sometimes with less competition from rival industrial powers.
What was the civilizing mission?
A cultural justification for imperialism that portrayed spreading Western culture as a duty.
How did quinine assist European expansion?
Its use against malaria helped Europeans travel and operate in tropical regions.
Why were ports and naval bases strategically valuable to empires?
They allowed ships to refuel and resupply and helped protect trade routes.

Quiz questions

  1. What was generally the main purpose of many industrial-age colonies, compared with earlier settler colonies?Answer: To exploit local resources and labor and connect them to industrial economies.
  2. Why did Britain seek to limit Russian influence in Afghanistan?Answer: Britain feared Russian access to India, its most prized colony.
  3. How did social Darwinist ideas help justify imperial rule?Answer: Supporters applied competition and survival to human groups and claimed some were naturally superior.
  4. Why were colonial railways in parts of Africa often built from the interior toward the coast?Answer: They carried raw materials to coastal ports for shipment to overseas factories.
  5. What military advantage did industrial firearms give imperial forces?Answer: Rapidly loaded, accurate weapons and machine guns increased their range and firepower.

Based on World History Volume 2, from 1400 by Ann Kordas, Ryan J. Lynch, Brooke Nelson, Julie Tatlock (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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