World History

1. Opium War
• War fought between China and Britain after the Chinese forbade the
further sale ad use of opium.

2. Treaty of Nanjing
• First unequal treaty that China was forced to sign giving Britain
considerable rights to expand trade with China.

3. White Lotus Rebellions
• Led by Buddhists in China who were frustrated over taxes and
government corruption during the Manchu Dynasty.

4. Taiping Rebellion
• The Taipings were led by a religious zealot claiming to be the brother
of Jesus that nearly succeeded in bringing down the Manchu Dynasty.

5. Self-Strengthening Movement
• An attempt by the Manchu Dynasty to get its act together but did no
good.

6. Sino-French War
• War between China and France where the Chinese lost control of
Vietnam to the French, who established a colony called French
Indochina.

7. Sino-Japanese War
• War between China and Japan where China was forced to sign the
Treaty of Shimonoseki.

8. Treaty of Shimonoseki
• China was forced to hand over control of Taiwan and grant the
Japanese trading rights similar to those of Europeans in the Treaty of
Nanjing.

9. Spheres of Influence
• France, Germany, Russia, and Britain carving up huge slices of China
for themselves not as colonies, but areas where they would invest
heavily.

10. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
• The United States signed this act to bar the immigration of all Chinese
laborers.

11. Open Door Policy
• The United States pledged its support of the sovereignty of the
Chinese government and announced equal trading privileges among
all imperial powers.

12. Boxers
• the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists organized in response
to the Manchu government's defeats and concessions to the Western
powers and Japan. The Boxer's goal was to drive the Europeans and
Japanese out of China, but were unsuccessful.

13. Boxer Protocol
• China was forced to sign this which demanded China pay the
Europeans and Japanese the costs associated with the Boxers
rebellion and also formally apologize for it as well.

14. Sun Yatsen
• Defeated the Manchu Dynasty and established a republic in China for
the first time ever.

15. Meiji Restoration
• An era of Japanese westernization under the leadership of Emperor
Meiji, after which Japan emerged as a imperial power.

16. Emancipation Edict
• Issued by Alexander II that abolished serfdom, but did little good.

17. Alexander II
• Russian Czar that issued the Emancipation Edict and was assassinated
by The People's Will.

18. The People's Will
• Political group that assassinated Czar Alexander II.

19. Alexander III
• Russian czar after Alexander II that adopted a Russification policy.

20. Russification
• Policy adopted that all Russians were expected to learn Russian
language and convert to Russian Orthodoxy. Anyone who did not
comply were persecuted, especially Jews.