AP Imperialism & Colonial Empires Flashcards

Which policy allowed European powers to bypass Chinese sovereignty by granting their citizens immunity from Chinese law in treaty ports?

Answer: Extraterritoriality

Extraterritoriality meant that foreign nationals in China were tried under their own national laws, not Chinese law, deeply humiliating Chinese sovereignty.

The phrase 'informal empire' best describes Britain's relationship with which country in the 19th century?

Answer: Argentina

Britain dominated Argentina economically through investment, trade, and railroad ownership without formal colonial control, a classic 'informal empire.'

Cecil Rhodes' dream of a 'Cape to Cairo' railway reflected which imperial ambition?

Answer: Creating a continuous British-controlled corridor from South Africa to Egypt

Rhodes envisioned a British-controlled north-south axis through Africa linking its South African mines to Egypt and the Mediterranean.

Which of the following best explains why industrial European nations sought overseas colonies after 1870?

Answer: To secure raw materials, markets, and investment opportunities for surplus industrial capital

Hobson and Lenin both argued that imperialism was driven by the economic need to export surplus capital and find new markets as domestic ones saturated.

The Boxer Rebellion (1900) in China was primarily directed against:

Answer: Foreign imperialism and Christian missionary influence in China

The Boxers attacked foreign legations and Chinese Christians, aiming to expel foreign influence, but were crushed by an eight-nation multinational force.

How did the British 'indirect rule' system in Nigeria differ from French 'direct rule' in West Africa?

Answer: British used existing local chiefs to administer colonies while French imposed French bureaucrats directly

Indirect rule co-opted existing African political structures, reducing British administrative costs, while French assimilation aimed to replace African institutions with French ones.