Chapter 3 Key Terms and Assessments
Key Terms
balance of power a situation in which competing nations have approximately equal military power
black legend the myth, mostly promoted by English writers, that the Spanish treated Native Americans far more harshly than other European colonizers
bourgeoisie the social class whose members owned the means of production and whose main goal was the preservation of capital
British Raj the period from 1858 to 1947 when the British government directly ruled India through the Viceroy of India
Canton system a system that allowed Europeans to trade with China only if they worked through the Chinese guilds that enjoyed monopoly rights to the tea and silk trades
capitalism an economic system in which private individuals and companies own the means of production, and free (unregulated) markets set the value of most goods and services based on supply and demand
charter an official authorization to conduct a major economic activity such as the creation of a colony
cultural accommodation the practice of integrating a culture into the dominant society without forcing it to fully integrate and adopt all the dominant culture’s components
economic imperialism the practice of dominating a foreign country economically
indirect rule a system in which colonial powers cooperated with Indigenous elites and allowed local leaders to exercise some authority
Industrial Revolution the period during which societies transitioned away from a focus on agriculture and handicraft production to manufacturing, primarily with machines
laissez-faire economics the theory that market forces alone should drive the economy and that governments should refrain from direct intervention in or moderation of the economic system
Luddites British workers in the early nineteenth century who resisted industrialization
Marxism the idea, espoused by Karl Marx, that recognizing class struggle is central to understanding societies
mechanization the use of machines to replace the labor of animals and humans
proletariat the landless working class
sepoys Indian soldiers who served the British in India
socialism an economic system in which the public owns the means of production
Assessments
Review Questions
1. How were the initial English settlements primarily funded?
a. by grants from the royal treasury
b. through joint stock companies
c. with gifts from King Henry V
d. through taxes collected by the Diocese of Canterbury
2. After their initial founding, how did colonies in the Americas typically relate to their home countries?
a. Colonies relied on their home countries for supplies and economic support.
b. Colonies became totally independent.
c. Colonies joined rival empires.
d. Colonies ignored their home countries.
3. Why is the city once known as New Amsterdam now known as New York?
a. Residents of the city voted to rename it in honor of the Duke of York.
b. City leaders changed the name after the Earl of York invested in the city.
c. The Catholic Church modified the name on maps in honor of Saint York.
d. The English renamed the city after they captured it from the Dutch.
4. What explains the relatively harmonious relationship between French colonists and the Indigenous peoples of Canada?
a. The French could not afford to anger Indigenous peoples who assisted them in acquiring furs.
b. The French found the Indigenous people of Canada eager to convert to Christianity.
c. The French had little contact with Indigenous peoples and remained within their own settlements.
d. Most of the Indigenous peoples of Canada died as a result of smallpox, so they were easily dominated by the French.
5. What was a major cause of the Seven Years’ War?
a. the destruction of the British Raj
b. the regulation of opium in China
c. the death of Louis XV of France
d. growing rivalries between European powers
6. What was the primary reason for the creation of the British Raj?
a. the failure of the British East India Company to prevent unrest in India
b. the rise of revolutionary movements in China
c. the need for increasing tax revenues to support British colonization in Africa
d. the downfall of the British monarchy
7. What was the system by which the Qing dynasty controlled trade?
a. the Raj system
b. the Ndongo system
c. the Canton system
d. the treaty system
8. What was a result of the Qing dynasty’s trade policies?
a. China temporarily enjoyed a favorable balance of trade.
b. The British were forced to focus on their colonies in North America.
c. China was able to dominate Japan politically and militarily.
d. The French suffered defeat in the Seven Years’ War.
9. African resistance to European colonization was often a response to which line of trade?
a. the opium trade
b. the slave trade
c. the textile trade
d. the aluminum trade
10. What was King Philip’s War?
a. a French rebellion against Spanish colonization
b. a Chinese trade war against Italian mercantilism
c. a Native American uprising against English colonization
d. a Muslim religious war against Dutch missionaries
11. What is one difference between mercantilism and capitalism?
a. Mercantilism typically supports greater governmental regulation than capitalism.
b. Mercantilism typically supports lower taxes than capitalism.
c. Mercantilism typically supports more labor rights than capitalism.
d. Mercantilism typically supports freer trade than capitalism.
12. Which concept might be demonstrated by a chef who opens a new restaurant in hopes of getting rich and in the process benefits the community by hiring workers and serving food to neighbors?
a. the rebellion of the proletariat
b. the invisible hand
c. the growth of industrialization
d. the death of mercantilism
13. Adam Smith’s ideas are rooted in the belief that most people are
a. wealthy
b. industrialists
c. rational
d. religious
14. What is the manufacturing of goods at home that characterized the early years of the Industrial Revolution called?
a. mercantilism
b. capitalism
c. laissez-faire
d. cottage industry
Check Your Understanding Questions
- What areas of North America were colonized by the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch, respectively?
- What were the primary motivations for colonization by the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch?
- What were some labor systems used in the North American colonies?
- What negative effect did the fur trade have on Indigenous peoples?
- Identify the parts of Africa most likely to be targeted by European empires, and briefly explain why they were more vulnerable.
- How did the Grand Canal facilitate China’s growing economy?
- What caused conflict between Queen Nzinga and the Portuguese?
- Why did the government of the Qing dynasty wish to prevent the British from selling opium in China?
- According to Adam Smith, how did the invisible hand of the marketplace work?
- What are some ways in which mechanization changed traditional ways of producing goods?
Application and Reflection Questions
- How did the religious backgrounds of the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch differ? How did religion affect their motivations in colonizing the Americas?
- How did Native Americans shape the colonization of North America?
- Why did some colonies rely on enslaved labor more heavily than others? Why do you think that Europeans were willing to indenture fellow Europeans but not to enslave them in the way they did Africans?
- What were the short- and long-term consequences of the rise of the global economy in the eighteenth century?
- What were some of the successful movements to resist foreign expansion in Africa and the Americas in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries?
- Why did some movements to resist colonial expansion in Africa, Asia, and the Americas succeed and others did not? Choose two resistance movements that opposed European empires and compare them to support your argument.
- Were the Luddites right to resist mechanization? Why or why not?
- What were the benefits and harms of mechanization?
- Did Karl Marx’s argument effectively address the challenges of capitalism? Why or why not?