12th Standard History — Imperialism and its Onslaught Online Test

About Imperialism and its Onslaught

Medium ~70 min study

Imperialism and its Onslaught is the thirteenth unit of the Tamil Nadu State Board Class 12 History book. It opens with the shift from mercantilism to free trade, explains how trusts, cartels and the export of capital turned the great powers into rivals for colonies, and shows how Africa was partitioned within a few decades.

The unit then follows the road to war: Japan's rise in Asia, Bismarck's alliance system, the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente, the Moroccan and Bosnian crises, the Balkan Wars and the shot at Sarajevo. It covers the main battles, America's entry, the Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles.

The last sections deal with the Russian Revolution under Lenin, the League of Nations, the Great Depression of 1929 and the rise of Mussolini and Hitler. This page gives the book-back one mark questions with answers checked against the lesson, plus additional questions with short explanations.

What you'll learn

• Explain how industrial capitalism and the export of capital led to imperialism.
• Describe the partition of Africa and Japan's rise as an imperial power.
• Trace the formation of the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente and the crises before 1914.
• Outline the main battles of the First World War and the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
• State the causes, course and results of the Russian Revolution.
• Assess the work and failure of the League of Nations and the effects of the Great Depression.
• Explain the circumstances that brought Mussolini and Hitler to power.

Before you start

• The Industrial Revolution and the growth of capitalism in Europe.
• The unification of Germany and Italy and the Franco-Prussian War of 1871.
• A map of Europe, Africa and East Asia around 1900.

Imperialism and its Onslaught explained

What this unit covers

Rise of imperialism

England adopted free trade in 1833 after Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations (1776) attacked mercantilism. Free competition gave way to trusts and cartels. Surplus goods and capital drove the scramble for colonies; by 1900 almost all of Africa was colonised, leaving only Liberia, Morocco and Abyssinia.

Road to war

Germany's Tariff Act of 1879 spread protectionism. Japan defeated China (Treaty of Shimonoseki) and Russia (Treaty of Portsmouth). Europe split into the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. Crises in Morocco, Agadir and Bosnia and two Balkan Wars ended in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914.

The First World War

The Marne saved Paris, trench warfare set in on the Western Front, and Verdun, the Somme, Jutland and Cambrai followed. The sinking of the Lusitania helped bring America into the war in April 1917. Germany surrendered on 11 November 1918 and signed the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.

Russia, the League and the Depression

The February and October revolutions of 1917 brought Lenin's Bolsheviks to power. The League of Nations, Wilson's brainchild, settled some disputes but failed and was dissolved in 1946. The US stock market crash of 24 October 1929 began the Great Depression.

Fascism and Nazism

Mussolini marched on Rome in 1922 and signed the Lateran Treaty in 1929. Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 and built the Third Reich.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Thinking Danzig was handed to Poland. The Treaty of Versailles placed Danzig under the political control of the League of Nations.
• Linking the Treaty of Shimonoseki with the Russo-Japanese War. It ended the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95; Portsmouth ended the Russo-Japanese War.
• Counting Montenegro among the Central Powers. The Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria.
• Confusing the two Balkan treaties. The Treaty of London (May 1913) created Albania; the Treaty of Bucharest (August 1913) ended the second Balkan War.
• Dating the League's end to 1939 or 1945. Russia was expelled in 1939, but the League was dissolved only in 1946.

Test yourself on these with the practice test, then check the worked reasoning in the solved MCQs.

Frequently asked questions

How did John A. Hobson define imperialism?

The English economist John A. Hobson defined imperialism as the endeavour of the great controllers of industry to broaden the channel for the flow of their surplus wealth by seeking foreign markets and foreign investments, to take off the goods and capital they cannot sell or use at home.

Why did Germany want to isolate France?

Bismarck, the architect of the alliance system, feared that France, having lost Alsace and Lorraine in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, might launch a war of revenge. He therefore built links with Austria, which became the Triple Alliance with Italy in 1882.

What was the Triple Intervention?

After Japan defeated China in 1894-95 and gained the Liaotung peninsula by the Treaty of Shimonoseki, France, England and Russia intervened in 1895 and forced Japan to give the peninsula up. Japan resented this Triple Intervention and began a big armaments programme.

What was the immediate cause of the First World War?

On 28 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated at Sarajevo in Bosnia by Princip, a Bosnian student of Serbian origin. Austria blamed Serbia, served an ultimatum and declared war on 28 July; the alliances soon drew in the other powers.

What were the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany gave Alsace-Lorraine to France, ceded the Saar coal mines, lost all its colonies, accepted a demilitarised Rhineland and an army limited to 100,000 men, gave up its submarines and battleships, and was held responsible for war damage. Reparations were fixed in 1921 at 33 billion dollars.

What is Nihilism?

Nihilism was a revolt against the established social order. It rejected all authority exercised by the state, the church and the family and based its belief on nothing but scientific truth. Young radical intellectuals who waged war on the Russian state were called Nihilists by their enemies.

Why did the League of Nations fail?

It looked like an organisation of the victors, needed unanimity for political decisions and had no military power to enforce them. Collective security could not be applied in practice. The USA never joined, and Italy, Japan and Germany defied it while Britain and France were lukewarm supporters.