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Africa Readings

  1. The Scramble for Africa
  1. How did Europeans use Social Darwinism to justify empire building?
  2. Why did the Europeans control such a small portion of Africa in the 1800s?
  3. What were some of the internal factors that contributed to imperialism in Africa?
  4. Why did the Boers and the British fight over Southern Africa?
  1. 1. Do you think the positive effects of imperialism outweighed the negative impact? Why or why not?

2. What idea is the policy of assimilation based on?

3. Why were African resistance movements usually unsuccessful?

4. How did colonial rule cause a breakdown in traditional African culture?

  1. 1. What imperialistic forms of control did the Europeans use to govern these lands?

2. What is geopolitics?

3. Why did Great Britain want to control the Suez Canal?

4. Why did the Persian people oppose their ruler’s policy of selling business concessions to Europeans?

  1. 1. Why did Britain consider India its “jewel in the crown”?

2. Why didn’t Indians unite against the British in the Sepoy Mutiny?

3. What form did British rule take under the Raj?

  1. 1. What were some of the conditions that soldiers on the front lines had to face?

2. Which countries made up the Central Powers? Which countries comprised the Allies?

3. What were the characteristics of trench warfare?

4. What factors contributed to Russia’s war difficulties?

5. COMPARING AND CONTRASTING How was war on the Western and Eastern Fronts different? How was it the same?

6 . ANALYZING CAUSES Why did the Schlieffen Plan ultimately collapse? Cite specific details from the text.

7. MAKING INFERENCES Why might it be fair to say that neither side won the battles of the Somme or Verdun?

  1. 1. Whose reforms had a greater appeal to the peasants? Why?

2. How did the Treaty of Versailles trigger the May Fourth Movement?

3. How was Mao’s vision of communism different from that of Lenin?

4. What started the civil war in China?

  1. 1. What tragic connection did many of the leaders share?

2. Why did British officials partition India into India and Pakistan?

3. In what way did Pakistan also undergo a partition?

4. What is the main cause today of civil strife in Sri Lanka?

5. SYNTHESIZING Why might India’s political and economic success be so crucial to the future of democracy in Asia?

6. ANALYZING ISSUES How did religious and cultural differences create problems for newly emerging nations?

7. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS Why has the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir become such a concern to the world today?