In 1–2 sentences, compare two different fifteenth-century European empires. Choose from Spain, Portugal, England, France, and the Netherlands. Explain why and how they colonized the areas they were in and the effects of colonization on the Indigenous inhabitants.
In the fifteenth century, both Portugal and Spain established vast overseas empires through colonization, with Portugal primarily focusing on Africa and Asia due to its geographical advantage for sea exploration and trade, while Spain focused on the Americas due to Christopher Columbus's discovery, resulting in significant impacts on the Indigenous inhabitants, including forced labor, cultural suppression, and disease outbreaks, leading to the decimation of native populations.
In 3–5 sentences, make a connection between industrialization in Europe and renewed European efforts at colonization, including two elements of continuity and two elements of change.
The process of industrialization in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries played a crucial role in generating renewed European efforts at colonization. Two elements of continuity in this context were the economic motivations of European powers, driven by the desire for resources and markets to support their industrial economies, and the use of technological advancements such as steamships and railways to facilitate imperial expansion. However, there were also two elements of change: firstly, the intensified competition between European powers for territorial control, leading to the Scramble for Africa; and secondly, the emergence of a new imperial ideology called "Social Darwinism" that justified European dominance and exploitation of colonized peoples based on ideas of racial superiority.
In 1–2 sentences, compare the efforts used to resist colonial rule in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Efforts to resist colonial rule in Africa, Asia, and Latin America were characterized by a range of strategies including armed uprisings, diplomatic negotiations, and political movements seeking independence, reflecting diverse contexts, leaders, and approaches to reclaiming autonomy and national identity.
In 3–5 sentences, explain why the artificial boundaries and imperial policies created by Europeans in Africa during the 1880s continue to cause ethnic and economic problems for modern African nations.
The artificial boundaries and imperial policies imposed by Europeans in Africa during the 1880s, notably through the Berlin Conference, disregarded existing ethnic and cultural divisions, leading to a legacy of arbitrary borders that did not align with the ethnic, linguistic, or territorial identities of indigenous populations. This has resulted in ongoing conflicts and tensions rooted in competing ethnic groups vying for territorial control and resources, fostering a sense of division and exclusion within modern African nations. Furthermore, the scramble for resources by European imperial powers often disrupted local economic systems, leaving many African nations reliant on the export of raw materials and creating long-term economic dependency that hampers development and diversification.
