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Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution transformed economies that had been based on agriculture and handicrafts into economies based on large-scale industry, mechanized manufacturing, and the factory system. New machines, new power sources, and new ways of organizing work made existing industries more productive and efficient. -
Opium War
The Opium Wars were a series of mid-19th century conflicts between China and Western powers, primarily Great Britain, ignited by the Chinese government's attempts to suppress the opium trade, leading to military action by the British to force open Chinese markets and secure favorable trade terms through unequal treaties, significantly weakening China's sovereignty and marking the start of its "Century of Humiliation." -
Treaty of Nanjing
The Treaty of Nanjing was a peace treaty signed on August 29, 1842, between Great Britain and China. It ended the First Opium War and is considered the first of the "unequal treaties" that forced China into imperial international law. -
Suez Canal Construction
The Suez Canal was built between 1859 and 1869. It was the first canal to connect the Mediterranean and Red Seas, allowing ships to travel directly between the two bodies of water. -
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Meiji Restoration
The Meiji Restoration, referred to at the time as the Honorable Restoration, and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. -
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference took about three and a half months, from November 15, 1884 to February 26, 1885. It resulted in an act that did three things. The first was to recognize the territory that King Leopold claimed as his private property. -
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Scramble for Africa
In 1884–5 the Scramble for Africa was at full speed. Thirteen European countries and the United States met in Berlin to agree the rules of African colonization. From 1884 to 1914 the continent was in conflict as these countries took territory and power from existing African states and peoples. -
Fashoda Incident
The Fashoda Incident was a confrontation between France and Britain in 1898 that occurred on the White Nile in Sudan. It was the culmination of a series of territorial disputes between the two countries over control of the African Upper Nile region. -
Boer War
The Boer Wars were a series of conflicts between the British Empire and the Boers of South Africa over British influence in the region. The wars took place in the late 19th century and resulted in the eventual independence of the South African Republic. -
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was a military conflict fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan from 1904 to 1905. The war was fought over control of Manchuria and Korea.