Industry and Empire

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.