Kagan Reading Outline
Unit: The New Imperialism, 1880-1914
Kagan 785-791
1. How should imperialism be defined in the late 1800s? (p. 785)
2. What differences were there between the earlier period of European colonization and this new period of
European imperialism? How did economic philosophy shift between the two periods? (p. 786)
3. Why did the Industrial Revolution bring on imperialism? How did free trade lead to conflict in Asia? (p. 786-787)
4. What area of the world was the focus of the British empire? What challenges did Britain face in ruiling India?
(p. 787, 789)
5. What caused the Sepoy Mutiny? What was the British response to the rebellion? (p. 789, 791)
Kagan 791-795
1. Why were the imperial encounters of this era perceived to be “new?” List/explain seven reasons. (p. 792-793)
2. Describe the economic motive for “new imperialism.” What was Lenin’s interpretation of imperialism? (p. 793)
3. Describe the “civilized mission” which many European countries advocated during imperialism. (p. 794)
3. What were three other major motives for the “new imperialism?” (p. 794)
Kagan 798-806
1. Define the “scramble for Africa.” (p. 798)
2. Describe the development of French colonies in Northern Africa from 1830 to the beginning of WWI. (p. 798)
3. What crop did Europeans use Egypt to plant in the 19th century? Describe the effect of the Suez Canal on the
European economy and Egypt itself. (p. 798-799)
4. Describe the importance of the Fashoda incident between France and Britain in 1898. (p. 803)
5. What was the true goal and activities of King Leopold of Belgium in the Congo? How did he mask his goal? (p.
804-805)
6. What were the goals of Otto von Bismarck when it came to African imperialism? Describe the Berlin
Conference in 1884. (p. 805)
7. Describe the colonial history of South Africa up until 1886. What prompted the Boer War in 1902? How did the
British organize South African society after the Boer War? (p. 805-806)
Kagan 806-812
1. How did the Russian attitude toward the peoples they controlled change throughout the course of the 19 th
century? (p. 807)
2. What was the main focus of French imperialism in southeast Asia? (p. 808-809)
3. Describe the American-proposed Open Door Policy and the subsequent Boxer Rebellion. What impact did the
collapse of the Boxer Rebellion have on the future of China? (810, 812)
Kagan 812-817
1. What affect did the invention of the steamboat have on European domination of the world? (812)
2. What was the solution to the problem of malaria? (812)
3. What were three advances in firearms during the 19th century? How did many Europeans accredit their
victories to rather than recognizing superiority in weaponry? (p. 812, 814)
4. Describe the goals and activities of the Western missionary movement. Which countries and denominations led
the way in missionary efforts? (p. 814-815)
5. Why were colonial administrators reluctant to let missionaries come into their territories? What basic idea did
the two sides share, and what benefits did the missionaries bring to the colonies? (p. 816-817)
6. What unintended religious effect did the presence of the missionaries have? (p. 817)
7. What were five major effects from the interrelationship between the missionary movement and colonialism?
(p. 817)
Kagan 817-821
1. What role did astronomers, geologists, and engineers have in the expansion of European society into the world
through imperialism? (p. 817-818)
2. What was Kew Garden? What was one of the most important contributions British botanists made during the
age of imperialism? (p. 819)
3. Why was the introduction of Western medicine important in seizing control of the region? (p. 819-820)
4. What were the key beliefs of anthropological societies in the 19th century? (p. 820-821)