New Imperialism: Motivations and Methods Practice Test

In a secondary-source excerpt on New Imperialism, a scholar notes that European leaders justified expansion by invoking Social Darwinism and a “civilizing mission,” while also relying on gunboat diplomacy, treaties signed under pressure, and the creation of protectorates that kept local rulers but ceded foreign policy to Europeans. Which method best matches the scholar’s description?

A historian argues that strategic concerns pushed New Imperialism: steam navies required coaling stations, and control of chokepoints and telegraph lines helped protect trade and project power. The same historian notes that military technology (e.g., rapid-fire weapons) made conquest more feasible. Which strategic objective best aligns with this argument?