Gregory Douvelis
AP World History
Mr. Salony
6.1 Outline
24, February, 2025
Industry and Empire
● Europe's Industrial Revolution created a demand for raw materials, markets for excess goods,
and profitable foreign investments, driving global expansion.
● Competition among European powers, fueled by nationalism, led to aggressive colonial
expansion as nations sought "Great Power" status.
● Steamships, telegraphs, quinine, and advanced weaponry enabled Europeans to dominate
distant lands more efficiently.
● Scientific racism and social Darwinism reinforced European beliefs in their cultural and racial
superiority, justifying imperial rule.
● Europeans saw imperialism as a duty to "civilize" others through Christianity, governance, and
economic development, while also controlling social unrest at home.
A Second Wave of European Conquests
● European expansion shifted to Asia, Africa, and Oceania, with new players like Germany, Italy,
the U.S., and Japan joining, while Spain and Portugal played minor roles.
● Europeans preferred informal control through economic penetration and occasional military
intervention but resorted to full colonial rule when necessary.
● European empires relied on advanced weaponry to dominate, but many regions, including
Africa and South Africa, fiercely resisted colonization.
● European powers rapidly partitioned Africa (1875–1900), while Oceania saw annexations
driven by economic interests and missionary efforts.
● Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the Americas saw mass European settlement, devastating
indigenous populations through disease and displacement.
● Some societies resisted militarily, others negotiated, and a few, like Ethiopia and Siam,
successfully avoided colonization through diplomacy and strategic concessions.