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British Slave Trade Act
Abolished slave trade in the British Empire. The act of slavery however, did not end until the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. The act put pressure on other nations to abolish the slave trade as well, with the United States outlawing the Atlantic slave trade earlier that same month. -
Monroe Doctrine
Stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention. At the same time, the doctrine noted that the United States would not interfere with existing European colonies. ts primary objective was to free the newly independent colonies of Latin America from European intervention so that the United States could exert its own influence undisturbed. -
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American Civil War
The American Civil War would determine the survival of the Union or independence for the Confederacy. It was fought mainly over slavery, and the end result was the destruction of the South's infrastructure, collaspe of the Confederacy, and the abolition of slavery within the US. This was the last hurdle to freedom for all. After the war, in the North, African-Americans recieved greater rights, but in the South, however, Jim Crow laws would continue to discriminate for other 100 years. -
Suez Canal Opened
The Suez Canal is opened, creating a shorter passage between Asia and Europe. This especially helped to speed up the travel time between British Indian and Great Britain. It enabled faster communicaion between the two, which in turn led to greater control by the British Government. -
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Berlin Conference
The conference would bring fourth a period of heightened colonial expansion by European powers, which led to the elimination of most existing forms of African autonomy and self-governance. It begun the so called "Scramble for Africa", and also laid down rules for claming territory. -
Indian National Congress Founded
One of the most prominent Indian nationalist groups, it would become a central and defining influence for its role during the Indian Indepenednce Movement. Although iat first, it was a political organization, the Congress would transformitself into a national movement for social reform and human upliftment. -
Battle of Adowa
Climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War, it resulted in an Ethiopian victory which secured Ethiopian sovereignty from Europian powers. As a result of the battle, Italy signed the Treaty of Addis Ababa, recognizing Ethiopia as an independent state. Almost forty years later, the Italians would launch a new military campaign endorsed by Benito Mussolini, the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. -
Spanish-American War
The U.S. had important economic interests that were being harmed by the prolonged conflict and uncertainty about the future of Cuba. Large corporations pressed Congress and President McKinley to seek an end to the revolt. The 1898 Treaty of Paris, negotiated on terms favorable to the US, allowed it temporary control of Cuba, and ceded authority over Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippine islands from Spain to the US. -
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Boxer Rebellion
Anti-imperialist uprising; in June of 1900, the Boxers marched on Beijing. In response to reports of an armed invasion to lift the siege, Empress Dowager Cixi supported the Boxers, and on June 21 declared war on foreign powers. The Eight-Nation Alliance brought 20,000 armed troops to China, defeated the Imperial Army, and captured Beijing, lifting the siege. The Boxer Protocol allowed foreign troops to be stationed in Beijing and for 450 million taels of silver to be paid over the next 39 years. -
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Russo-Japanese War
"The first great war of the 20th century", it grew out of rival imperial ambitions over ports and Manchuria. The Japanese government perceived a Russian threat to its strategic interests. After negotiations broke down, the Japanese Navy started the war by attacking the Russian Fleet at Port Arthur.The war resulted in the Japanese military gaining victory over the Russian forces, which was unexpected by the Western world. The war caused a shift in the balence of power in East Asia.