6.5 Economic Imperialism

What did Britain use raw cotton from India to produce?

• Finished cotton textiles

• Opium

• Inexpensive textiles

• Factory-made textiles

Answer explanation

By the late 18th century, Britain was able to use raw cotton from India to produce finished cotton textiles, which were then sold back to the Indian subcontinent at inflated prices.

What contributed to the development of economic imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

• Industrialized states such as Britain, the United States, France, Japan and Germany

• Exploitation of people, raw materials and refined materials

• Cash crops and mineral resources produced on a large scale

• Colonial powers turning colonies into export economies

Answer explanation

Exploitation of people, raw materials and refined materials. This is because economic imperialism developed as businesses took advantage of natural resources beyond their borders. People, raw materials, and refined materials were the main resources exploited in order to produce cash crops and mineral resources on a large scale.

Which of the following was a result of the English East India Company's formation?

• England's defeat of the Spanish Armada

• The Dutch taking over the spice trade in Asia

• India dominating the world textile trade

• The Industrial Revolution in India

Answer explanation

The formation of the English East India Company in 1600 allowed the company to engage in the lucrative spice trade and soon began importing cotton and silk textiles from India. This eventually led to India dominating the world textile trade by the 1700s.

What was the purpose of the Culture System?

• To encourage farmers to grow export crops

• To provide farmers with free labor

• To provide the Dutch government with more resources

• To create a monopoly on trade with Indonesia

Answer explanation

The Culture System forced farmers to choose between growing cash crops for export or performing corvée labor, which suggests that the purpose was to encourage farmers to grow export crops.

What did the East India Company do to make up for the silver shortfall caused by the trade imbalance?

• Forced farmers in India to grow opium

• Bought tea and other goods

• Used profits to buy tea and other goods

• Addicted millions of Chinese people to an illegal drug

Answer explanation

The East India Company forced farmers in India to grow opium, an addictive hallucinogenic drug, to make up for the silver shortfall caused by the trade imbalance, and then sold it for silver in China.

What led to the first Opium War?

• The Chinese objection to the importation of opium

• The Chinese government seizing the British opium

• British warships destroying a Chinese blockade

• The British attacking and occupying Canton

Answer explanation

The Chinese government seizing the British opium. This is because the Chinese objection to the importation of opium led to the seizure of British opium warehoused in the port of Canton (Guangzhou). This event caused the first Opium War (1839-1842) to break out.

What did the Treaty of Nanking require China to do?

• Open up four additional ports to foreigners

• Cede the island of Hong Kong to Britain

• Pay damages

• Allow free trade, including trade in opium

Answer explanation

Open up four additional ports to foreigners. The Treaty of Nanking required China to open up four additional ports to foreigners, cede the island of Hong Kong to Britain, and pay damages. It also forced the Chinese to allow free trade, which the British took to include trade in opium.

Which of the following countries proposed the Open Door policy?

• Japan

• France

• Germany

• The United States

What was the result of Economic Imperialism in Africa?

• Increased food production

• Increased cotton production

• Food shortages and famines

• Increased economic independence

Answer explanation

Food shortages and famines. Economic Imperialism in Africa caused land that had been devoted to growing food to be converted to cash crop production, which left many Africans vulnerable during periods of drought, economic decline, or falling world prices. This resulted in food production declining and food shortages and famines arising as the most arable land was devoted to growing crops for export.

What was the most important cash crop in the Gold Coast?

• Cotton

• Cocoa

• Palm oil

• Peanuts

Answer explanation

After missionaries introduced it to the area in the 1880s, cocoa became the major cash crop on the Gold Coast. This region soon became the largest cocoa producer in the world.