Industrial powers justified expansion with claims about economic need, nationalism, race, and a supposed civilizing mission.
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Unit 06 · c. 1750–1900
Consequences of Industrialization
Examine the motives for imperial expansion, responses to colonial rule, global economic change, and migration.
The big picture
What to know
Examine the motives for imperial expansion, responses to colonial rule, global economic change, and migration.
Powerful states also dominated economies without always ruling directly. Loans, unequal treaties, and control of trade limited local independence.
Connect industrialization, imperial expansion, and migration in a causal explanation. Consider more than one cause and weigh their relative importance.
Check your understanding
01 / Multiple choice · 3 questions
Choose one answer for each question. Feedback appears below it.
Question 01
Which topic helps explain this development? Industrial powers justified expansion with claims about economic need, nationalism, race, and a supposed civilizing mission.
Select an answer to check your thinking.
Question 02
Which topic helps explain this development? Powerful states also dominated economies without always ruling directly. Loans, unequal treaties, and control of trade limited local independence.
Select an answer to check your thinking.
Question 03
Which topic helps explain this development? Connect industrialization, imperial expansion, and migration in a causal explanation. Consider more than one cause and weigh their relative importance.
Select an answer to check your thinking.
02 / Write with evidence
Write a short response
Who benefited from industrial-era expansion, and who resisted it?
- Make a claim that answers the question.
- Use two examples from the review.
- Explain how the examples support your claim.
See a model response
Examine the motives for imperial expansion, responses to colonial rule, global economic change, and migration. Social Darwinism falsely presented imperial domination as natural competition. Foreign powers gained privileged trade and investment positions in China.
Resources & review
Quick study check
Before opening another resource, explain these examples from memory. Reveal each explanation to check yourself.
Rationales for Imperialism from 1750 to 1900
Industrial powers justified expansion with claims about economic need, nationalism, race, and a supposed civilizing mission.
Economic Imperialism from 1750 to 1900
Powerful states also dominated economies without always ruling directly. Loans, unequal treaties, and control of trade limited local independence.
Causation in the Imperial Age
Connect industrialization, imperial expansion, and migration in a causal explanation. Consider more than one cause and weigh their relative importance.
Read / watchOER Project · Unit 6 ↗
Find this numbered lesson in the unit’s articles, videos, and activities.
Video / reviewKhan Academy · World History AP ↗A second explanation when you need to see a topic another way.
Official practiceAP Classroom ↗AP Daily videos and teacher-assigned topic questions. Sign in with your school AP account.
OER Project and Khan Academy may organize some lessons differently. Use the topic number on this page to match the material you need.
Explore every topic
TOPIC 6.1
Rationales for Imperialism from 1750 to 1900
Industrial powers justified expansion with claims about economic need, nationalism, race, and a supposed civilizing mission.
TOPIC 6.2State Expansion from 1750 to 1900
Industrial states used military force, diplomacy, and technology to take territory in Africa and Asia. Colonized regions experienced different forms of rule.
TOPIC 6.3Indigenous Responses to State Expansion from 1750 to 1900
People living under imperial pressure resisted, negotiated, and adapted. Responses ranged from armed revolt to reform movements.
TOPIC 6.4Global Economic Development from 1750 to 1900
Industrial demand reshaped agriculture and resource extraction around the world. Colonial economies often supplied raw materials for factories elsewhere.
TOPIC 6.5Economic Imperialism from 1750 to 1900
Powerful states also dominated economies without always ruling directly. Loans, unequal treaties, and control of trade limited local independence.
TOPIC 6.6Causes of Migration in an Interconnected World
Industrial jobs, poverty, persecution, and labor demands moved millions of people across and within regions. Some migrated by choice; others faced pressure or contracts.
TOPIC 6.7Effects of Migration
Migrants built communities and brought cultural traditions to new places. Their movement also produced exclusion, conflict, and new social policies.
TOPIC 6.8Causation in the Imperial Age
Connect industrialization, imperial expansion, and migration in a causal explanation. Consider more than one cause and weigh their relative importance.