Welcome to - The Era of New Imperialism - 10th Grade world history
Throughout this unit of study we will analyze some of the dynamic global changes that occurred throughout the era of New Imperialism, with an emphasis on perspectives from both the colonizing and colonized countries.
10.4 - Students analyze patterns of global change in the era of New Imperialism in at least two of the following regions or countries: Africa, Southeast Asia, China, India, Latin America, and the Philippines.
- Describe the rise of industrial economies and their link to imperialism and colonialism (e.g., the role played by national security and strategic advantage; moral issues raised by the search for national hegemony, Social Darwinism, and the missionary impulse; material issues such as land, resources, and technology).
- Discuss the locations of the colonial rule of such nations as England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Portugal, and the United States.
- Explain imperialism from the perspectives of the colonizers and the colonized and the varied immediate and long-term responses by the people under colonial rule.
- Describe the independence struggles of the colonized regions of the world, including the roles of leaders such as Sun Yat-sen in China, and the role of ideology and religion.
Essential Historical questions to consider
Throughout this unit we will seek to answer and understand the following essential historical questions:
- "How did the location and rise of the Industrial Revolution in countries such as England, France, Germany, Japan, the United States, and others, directly influence their imperial efforts and desire to colonize other areas of the world?"
- "What resources were colonizing countries in search of?"
- "What would it feel like to have someone attempt to take over your home, enslave you, and steal your natural resources?"
- "How did the era of New Imperialism set the stage for global tensions prior to the First World War?"
Big ideas
Here are a list of some major ideas to consider and reflect on while we make our way through this unit:
- The industrial revolution led newly industrialized nations to perceive themselves as superior to other less advanced areas of the world, leading to an entirely different mind set about colonizing these so called "lesser" countries.
- Newly industrialized nations needed more natural resources than their own country could sometimes produce, leading them to search out places where they could find these resources and take them for themselves.
- Ideology, culture, and religion played a huge role in the outlook of colonizing countries.
- During this period new scientific ideas about evolution and race were leading topics of the day, and people were influenced by ideas of Social Darwinism and the missionary impulse to spread religion to "uncivilized" areas of the world.
- History is often written by the conquerors and colonizers, who at the time, saw themselves as helpful, benevolent leaders, guiding "uncivilized peoples" towards progress. However, it is crucial to dig deeper and consider the viewpoint and perspectives of the people who were being colonized.
assessment Plan
Here are some of the major activities, projects, and assignments that will accompany this unit:
- Analysis of industrialized nations vs. non-industrialized countries.
- Students will discuss and then create a map of the locations of the colonial rule of nations such as England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Portugal, and the United States.
- Students will be grouped and assigned to a specific country that was colonized, evaluate and analyze what happened there, and give a short presentation on the information they found. They will need to create some sort of visual aide for their presentation.
- Students will write a letter to their family from the perspective of a person who was living in a colonized area. They will be allowed to choose which county they live in, and will have to provide specific examples of who colonized them and how they are being treated with evidence from their research.