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Monroe Doctrine
Passed by James Monroe, this stated that the Americas were to no longer be colonized by European powers. The United States were aided by the British navy to ensure this. -
Opium Wars
This first opium war started when the British began smuggling opium into China from India in exchange for silk and porcelain. While the Qing Dynasty tried to stop them, the demand for Chinese goods was too high. -
Treaty of Nanjing
This treaty brought an unjust end to the first opium war, forcing China to open five ports and give up Hong Kong. However, China's failure to improve trade and international relations enough to satisfy Britain later led to a second opium war. -
Matthew C. Perry
Perry sailed to Japan from America to open trade between those two nations. This led to rapid industrialization in Japan. -
Construction of Suez Canal
In efforts to modernize Egypt, Egyptian ruler Isma'il supported the construction of the Suez Canal, a human-made waterway cutting through the Isthmus of Suez and connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Later, because Egypt could regain financial stability after the project's enormous costs, Britain took over. -
Stanley Meets Livingstone
David Livingstone had gone to Africa as a missionary to convert Africans to Christianity; however, after not contacting Britain for several years, Henry Stanley was sent by the New York Herald to find Livingstone. After almost an 8 month expedition, Stanley found him living in Ujiji. -
First Boer War
The Dutch were the first to come to the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. They established large farms and became "boers", which is Dutch for "farmer". This was the war between the British and Dutch for control of South Africa; it was the first modern "total" war, and the winner was Britain. -
Berlin Conference
The fight for African territory by European nations was at its peak in the 1880's. To prevent conflict, 14 European countries met to agree on the rules and for the division of Africa. This was the Berlin Conference, held 1884 - 1885.
