World history concepts · AP World History: Modern
Imperialism
Imperialism: The policy of extending a nation's power through territorial conquest or political and economic control over other regions.
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What it means
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, industrialized states expanded empires in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, motivated by economic interests, strategic competition, nationalism and ideologies such as social Darwinism. Imperial rule took forms ranging from direct colonial administration to economic dominance.
Colonized peoples resisted through armed revolts, religious movements and political organizing.
Example
At the Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885, European powers set rules for claiming African territory, accelerating the 'Scramble for Africa.'
On the exam
Imperialism is a central Unit 6 topic and frequent subject of DBQs on causes, effects and resistance.
Lessons and practice questions
Related terms
- Industrial RevolutionThe shift from hand production to machine manufacturing, beginning in Britain in the eighteenth century and spreading worldwide.
- DecolonizationThe process by which colonies in Asia, Africa and elsewhere gained independence from imperial powers, mainly after World War II.
- NationalismA sense of shared identity and loyalty to a nation, often based on common language, culture or history, and the belief that the nation should govern itself.