Imperialism in Asia Unit Test!

British East India Company

A British company who dominated trade in India from the 1600s to until the late 1800s. The company was the leading power in India until 1858 with the instatement of the Raj.

Bangladesh

A Muslim republic in southern Asia bordered by India to the north, west and east and the Bay of Bengal to the south. Became the "eastern wing" of the Muslim State of Pakistan following the Partition of Bengal, a subset of the Partition of India, which divided Bangladesh into Pakistani and Indian halves.

Matthew Perry

A U.S. commodore who wanted to open up Japan to trade after constant European failure to so. In 1853, he arrived in Japan with four massive steamboats and threatened the Japanese with a letter from President Fillmore to invade Japan in a year if they refused. In 1854, a reply came from the Shogun and the Treaty of Kanagawa was signed.

Sepoy Rebellion

A group of Sepoys, or Indian's hired as British soldiers, rebelled against the British after 100 sepoys were jailed for refusing their animal-fat laden cartridges. The rebellion was fueled by angst against British racism and missionaries who imposed Christianity. After a year of failure to put down the rebellion, British troops stormed in, ending the Mutiny and beginning the British Raj.

Taiping Rebellion

A huge peasant rebellion led by Hong Xiuquan that desired to build a "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace," a communist nation. Hong captured much of S. China and also Nanjing, the capital. After Hong left, the rebellion broke apart and in 1864 the rebels succumbed to British, Qing, and French attacks. Over 20 million people died.

Salt March

A non-violent protest against British policy led by Gandhi. The protest defied the British Salt Act which prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt by walking across India to the port city of Dandi where Gandhi and his followers gathered hunks of natural salt deposits. All over India those who supported Gandhi participated in Salt Marches, meeting violent confrontations by the British which brought British cruelty to the international stage.

Open Door Policy

A policy proposed by the U.S. Secretary of State John Hay in 1899 which would keep China open to all nations for trade on equal standing; the policy protected U.S. trading rights in China and also prevented the colonization of China by a single power.

Indian National Congress

A political faction who aspired to resist British rule and ultimately achieve independence for India. The group wanted a fully diverse, representative government and was the first ruling party of India.

Homespun Movement

A political movement led by Gandhi that promoted domestic cloth and condemned the purchase of clothing from Britain. People burned British clothing in rallies and began to weave their own cloth, greatly damaging Britain's economy while boosting India's economy and a growing sense of nationalism.

Boxer Rebellion

A rebellion against the Dowager Empress and foreign privilege. Members known as "The Society of the Righteous and harmonious Fists." The organization stormed Beijing in 1900 and lay siege to a Christian sect of the city for months until a multinational force defeated the rebels. The rebellion forced Cixi to acknowledge modernization was essential o survive.

Kashmir

A region in northern India where Hindus and Muslims fight over disputed territory. The area is governed jointly by India, Pakistan, and China.

Opium Wars

A string of wars fought between the Qing Dynasty and Britain from 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860 concerning the Opium trade. The First War was a display of naval dominance by the British after the Chinese attacked Britain for not answering the Qing Emperor's demand to stop the Opium trade, ending in the lopsided treaty of Nanking. The Second War was a result of the illegal seizure of a British piracy ship in Canton; the Chinese greatly reluctant to following the terms of the Nanking Treaty. After the Chinese did not apologize, the British and French attacked Canton. In 1858 the Tientsin Treaties brought peace and forced China to open more ports, legalize the Opium trade, and allow foreign inspections.

Sphere of Influence

A territorial area over which a foreign nation controls trade and investment.

Treaty of Kanagawa

A treaty signed by the U.S. and Japan in 1854 that opened up two ports to to the U.S. and opened the floodgates to more countries installing treaty-ports in Japan. A later treaty in 1858 gave foreigners extraterritorial rights.

Treaty of Nanking

A treaty signed in 1942 by the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire after the First Opium War. The treaty provided the British with full control over 4 more ports; furthermore, the Chinese had to pay $21 Million with a 5% interest. The British also gained the city of Hong Kong.

Russo-Japanese War

A war fought from 1904 to 1905 between Japan and Russia over Manchurian territory; resulted in the defeat of Russia by the Japanese navy. The Treaty of Portsmouth forced the Russians to withdraw from Manchuria and Korea and in turn gave control over the territories to Japan.

Muslim League

An organization led by Jinnah which represented the Muslim interests in India. They initially wanted a stronger Muslim voice in the Nation Congress, but ultimately desired a Muslim state, Pakistan.

Meiji Restoration

In 1867 the Tokugawa Shogunate ended with the insertion of Mutsuhito Meiji, the Emperor, into power. He was a proponent of nationalism and began a 45 year reign devoted to modernization. Through collective borrowing, Japan adopted a centralized constitutional government and built mighty industries and a strong military, turning the island into an imperial power to compete with the West.

Jawaharal Nehru

India's first prime minster and the head of the Indian National Congress. He was imprisoned 9 times for his role in the nationalism movement and helped enact social change in India including the abolishment of the caste system and new marriage laws. Furthermore, he created the National Planning Commission which increased the state's rural development, agriculture, and industry.

Amritsar Massacre

On April 13, 1919, a group of non-violent protesters gathered in Amritsar, unaware of the martial laws(Rowlatt Acts) preventing them from gathering. Without warning, General Dyer open fired on the crowd, killing hundreds of innocent people, setting off a wave of nationalism in India.

Extraterritoriality

Right of foreigners to be protected by the laws of their own nation. (i.e. not subject to foreign jurisdiction)

Home Rule

The concept that India should govern it's own affairs and that Britain is a master in a foreign country. Gandhi and the Indian National congress campaigned for this notion and Gandhi wrote a book about it called Hind Swaraj.

Mahatma Gandhi

The de-facto leader of the Indian Nationalism movement who created the concept of Satyagraha, or non-violent non-cooperation which was extremely successful against the British. His accomplishments include the Homespun Movement, the Salt March, and Quit-India.

Muhammed Ali Jinnah

The leader of the Muslim League and close friend of Gandhi's. He was an active leader in the Indian National Congress and helped initiate the Lucknow Pact. He became the first Governor-general of Pakistan following the Partition.

Empress Cixi

The ruler of China from 1862-1908 who represented China's traditionalist mindset and resistance to modernization. She backed the strengthening movement which updated China's education, diplomacy, and military systems, but stifled China by usurping Emperor Guangxu and his modern reforms. After the Boxer Rebellion, she sent out her aides to conduct a collective borrowing in order to instate a western structure of government.