World History

Kaiser William II believed that his country alone was competent to rule the whole world. He couldn't tolerate the British Empire. Germany needed colonies not only as a sign of her world importance but also for her growing population. In order to protect Germany, Kaiser William II increased the strength of the army and stationed a fleet at Heligoland in the North Sea.

The first world war which took place during 1914-1918 and in which United States lately played a key role, emerged as the victor. Aftermath of first world war, Britain lost the super power status and United States emerged as the Super power of the world. US president Woodrow Wilson also promoted liberal and democratic values which also put a soft power influence on the world.

An international organization which was created after the First World War to provide a forum for resolving international disputes was known as League of Nations. It was headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It stopped border disputes turning into wars. It solved the border dispute between Iraq and Turkey. Turkey was claiming Mosul situated in Iraq as its own part. But when the League rejected Turkey’s claim to Mosul, Turkey agreed.

Due to the geographical importance of Balkan Area England, France and Russia interfered into the politics of this area. Russia began to exert pressure on the Balkan region as the citizens of this region were slav by race. England and France felt that the route to Asia via Mediterranean sea would thus be endangered for their interest. Therefore England and France interfered in this region as they did not want Russian power there.

The original thirteen British colonies in North America were established along the Atlantic coast, which is the eastern seaboard of the continent.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish a maritime empire in the Indian Ocean, focusing on controlling key trade routes and ports after Vasco da Gama reached India.

Brazil was colonized by Portugal, which is why Portuguese is the official language of Brazil today.

Italy brought the dreadful disease of Rinderpest to Africa. There was a large scale infection in Africa that caused major changes to animal life. Rinderpest entered in 1887 at Massawa from Indian cattle for the Italian army. Rinderpest swept from the Horn of Africa west to the Atlantic and south to the Cape of Good Hope. Ethiopia lost 95% of their cattle and most of the human population starved to death.

The Monroe Doctrine, issued in 1823, stated that further efforts by European nations to take control of any independent state in North or South America would be viewed as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States.

Simon Bolivar, known as 'El Libertador', played a central role in the independence movements of several South American countries, including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

The Portuguese were early leaders in the transatlantic slave trade, establishing forts and trading networks along the African coast to capture and export enslaved people.

The English had established an outpost in the Cape of Good Hope to help the passing ships to rest and replenish food supplies. Some Dutch farmers had settled in this area to cultivate and sell the produce to the passing ships. They came into conflict with the local African people whom they tried to drive away from their lands. They were called Boers. 

The English had established an outpost in the Cape of Good Hope to help the passing ships to rest and replenish food supplies. 

King Leopold II presented himself as a philanthropist eager to bring the benefits of Christianity, Western civilisation, and commerce to African natives. It was the world’s only private colony, and Leopold referred to himself as its “proprietor.” Initially, he was most interested in ivory, a material that was greatly valued in the days before plastics. Another thing that attracted Leopold was rubber. One lucrative source of wild rubber was the Landolphia vines in the great Central African rainforest, and no one owned more of that area than Leopold. His private army would march into a village and hold the women hostage, forcing the men to scatter into the rainforest and gather a monthly quota of wild rubber. The effects were devastating. Many of the women hostages starved, and many of the male rubber gatherers were worked to death.

The "Scramble for Africa" was the invasion, occupation, division, colonisation and annexation of African territory by European powers during the period of New Imperialism, between 1881 and 1914. In 1870, only 10 percent of Africa was under European control; by 1914 it had increased to 90 percent of the continent, with only Ethiopia (Abyssinia), the Dervish state (present-day Somalia) and Liberia still being independent.