The Age of Imperialism
Aligned to C3.D2.His.4 — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Between about 1870 and 1914, industrial powers in Europe, the United States, and Japan seized colonies across Africa and Asia to secure raw materials, markets, and military bases. They justified conquest with claims of racial and cultural superiority, while colonized peoples lost land, resources, and self-rule.
Worked example
At the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, European diplomats drew borders across a map of Africa and divided nearly the entire continent among themselves — without a single African representative present.
Practice questions
- Name two things imperial powers wanted from their colonies.
- Explain one way colonized peoples resisted imperial control.
- Analyze how the borders drawn during this era still affect nations in Africa or Asia today.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
La Era del Imperialismo
Entre aproximadamente 1870 y 1914, las potencias industriales de Europa, Estados Unidos y Japón tomaron colonias en África y Asia para asegurar materias primas, mercados y bases militares. Justificaron la conquista con afirmaciones de superioridad racial y cultural, mientras los pueblos colonizados perdían tierras, recursos y autogobierno.
Ejemplo: En la Conferencia de Berlín de 1884-1885, los diplomáticos europeos trazaron fronteras sobre un mapa de África y repartieron casi todo el continente entre ellos — sin un solo representante africano presente.
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