HIST363 Study Guide


Unit 6: Imperialism and Industrialization in Asia

6a. Explain the different outcomes of industrialization in China and Japan

  • Western imperialism affected China and Japan during the 19th century in different ways. Explain the differences between how each responded to Western economic imperialism.
  • Describe Kenneth Pomeranz's views on the economic divergence of China and East Asia in the 19th century.
  • What obstacles to economic development affected China in the 19th century that did not impact England or Japan?

Many believed that China and East Asia failed to industrialize in the 19th century because they were socioeconomically inferior to the West, and to England in particular. However, new research indicates that China had the resources to undergo an industrial revolution, but failed to modernize due to Western imperialism and colonialism, not economics. Japan, on the other hand, responded to the threat of Western imperialism by undergoing its own industrial revolution. By 1900, Japan had met or exceeded the West in this regard.

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6b. Describe European colonial expansion under the New Imperialism

  • What was the purpose of the Berlin Conference of 1884-85? What resulted from this meeting?
  • Japan first opened its doors to European missionaries and trade, but closed them again for a 200 year period. What prompted the Japanese to emerge from isolationism in 1853 and what resulted?
  • How did the Meiji Restoration and its new government change the course of Japanese history, particularly in terms of economic development and imperialism?
  • What was the New Imperialism and how was this exemplified by the Scramble for Africa? How did it contribute to the outbreak of World War I?

The so-called period of New Imperialism during the late 1800s and early 1900s represented a second wave of European expansion and colonialism, joined by the United States and the newly industrialized country of Japan. This period began with the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 where the European powers defined their spheres of influence by carving up Africa and parts of Asia. It reflected a new rivalry among the European powers who sought new supplies of natural resources, commercial markets, and military outposts. It also reflected a belief in the "civilizing ethos" which Rudyard Kipling expressed in his poem, "The White Man's Burden".

The United States effort to gain colonies prompted its involvement in the Spanish-American War in 1898 and resulted in its takeover of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The United States also annexed the state of Hawaii in 1898. Japan quickly industrialized, began its takeover of Korea, put pressure on China and Russia, and eventually initiated the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, which it won after its surprise attack on the Russia fleet at Port Arthur.

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Unit 6 Vocabulary

  • Berlin Conference
  • Commodore Perry
  • Meiji Restoration
  • New Imperialism
  • Scramble for Africa
  • Sphere of influence