front 1 British East India Company | back 1 A British trading company that gradually took political and military control of large parts of India before the British government officially ruled it. |
front 2 Sepoy | back 2 An Indian soldier hired to serve in the British East India Company’s army. |
front 3 Enfield P-53 Rifle | back 3 A British rifle used by sepoys that required cartridges rumored to be greased with cow and pig fat, offending Hindu and Muslim religious beliefs. |
front 4 Sepoy Mutiny (1857) | back 4 A violent uprising of Indian sepoys against British rule, caused by cultural disrespect, economic exploitation, and military grievances. |
front 5 British Raj | back 5 The period of direct British government rule in India from 1858 to 1947 after the Sepoy Mutiny. |
front 6 Favorable Balance of Trade | back 6 When a country exports more goods than it imports; China had this advantage over European nations before the Opium Wars. |
front 7 Opium War (1839 | back 7 1842) – A war between Britain and China caused by Britain’s illegal opium trade; China’s defeat led to greater European influence. |
front 8 Unequal Treaties | back 8 Agreements forced on China after military defeat that favored foreign powers by giving them trading rights, land, and legal privileges. |
front 9 Spheres of Influence | back 9 Areas in China where foreign nations controlled trade and economic activities without directly ruling the territory. |
front 10 Treaty of Nanjing | back 10 The treaty that ended the First Opium War, forcing China to give Britain Hong Kong and open ports to foreign trade. |
front 11 Sino-Japanese War (1894 | back 11 1895) – A war between China and Japan over control of Korea; Japan’s victory showed its successful modernization. |
front 12 Boxer Rebellion | back 12 A Chinese nationalist uprising against foreign influence and missionaries; it was crushed by foreign armies. |
front 13 Taiping Rebellion | back 13 A massive civil war in China led by a group opposing the Qing dynasty, weakening China internally. |
front 14 Lord Macartney | back 14 A British diplomat who attempted to open trade with China but was rejected by the Chinese emperor, showing China’s resistance to foreign influence. |
front 15 Isolationism | back 15 Japan’s policy of limiting contact with foreign nations to preserve its culture and political system. |
front 16 Modernize | back 16 To adopt new technology, industry, and military practices to strengthen a country. |
front 17 Gunboat Diplomacy | back 17 The use of military power or threat of force to influence another country’s decisions. |
front 18 Westernization | back 18 The adoption of Western ideas, technology, government, and culture. |
front 19 Treaty of Kanagawa (1854) | back 19 An agreement between the U.S. and Japan that opened Japanese ports to American trade. |
front 20 Meiji Restoration (1868 | back 20 1889) – A period when Japan ended feudalism, centralized power under the emperor, and modernized to become an imperial power. |
front 21 Commodore Matthew Perry | back 21 A U.S. naval officer who forced Japan to open trade using gunboat diplomacy. |
front 22 Emperor Meiji | back 22 The Japanese emperor who led Japan during modernization and expansion. |