The phrase "White Man's Burden" comes from a poem with that title written by Rudyard Kipling in 1899, which commented on the United States' war in the Philippines and Cuba against Spain. The poem urges "white men" to take "civilization" to non-white peoples around the globe for their benefit. This idea was then taken up by many Europeans in their colonization efforts throughout Africa and Asia.

Henry was a Portuguese prince who lived from 1394 to 1460 and who believed in the importance of exploring foreign lands. He helped to set up a school to train explorers and also was interested in exploring the coast of Africa. His efforts helped to make Portugal a powerful and rich nation due to its ability to gain resources, conquer lands, and engage in global commerce.

The voyage of Christopher Columbus was funded by the Spanish monarchy of Isabella and Ferdinand. Hence Columbus, who was Italian, “discovered” the New World for the Spanish. Isabella and Ferdinand had recently united the Spanish houses of Castile and Aragon and expelled the Moors (the Arab population of Spain at the time) and Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. The newly formed Christian country of Spain sought the opportunity to become an Empire and looked West for opportunities for exploration.

The territory that comprises the state of Virginia was “discovered” by Sir Walter Raleigh in the late sixteenth century (presumably the city of Raleigh in North Carolina is named for him). When Raleigh returned and informed Elizabeth that she ruled a territory with a Native American name she reportedly changed it to “Virginia” to reflect her famous status as the “Virgin Queen” of England.

The nineteenth century witnessed a noticeable resurgence of Christian thinking that led to a global mission project to convert all the people of the world to Christianity. This was particularly pronounced in the African continent. On numerous occasions missionaries would try to establish contact with native populations only to be rebuffed and attacked. This gave public support to politicians in the mother country who were then able to establish military control over a new territory with the backing of the people.

The Suez Canal was built through Egypt to allow ships to pass from the Arabian Sea into the Mediterranean. Previously ships had had to sail around the Southern horn of Africa in order to bring goods from the Far East to Europe. The construction of the Suez Canal dramatically shortened the time needed to transport goods and thus increased the flow of trade between Europe and the Far East.  

Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco all came under French administration in the time period mentioned. Algeria, in particular, would have profound implications for the French imperial experience for the next several decades.

The term “extraterritoriality” means exempt from local laws, subject to laws of one’s home country as opposed to the country one currently resides in. So in the context of Europeans in China it meant that they were legally free from the constraints of the Chinese legal system and were only subject to the laws of their home country. This, naturally, greatly angered much of the local Chinese population and was a source of consistent tension.

The Dutch controlled the territory of Indonesia until their defeat to the Japanese in the Second World War. Following the end of the Second World War the Dutch tried to re-implement control, but met with fierce and organized resistance. Sukarno led the resistance against the Dutch until Indonesian independence was formalized in 1954. Sukarno would continue to rule as a military dictator for another decade or so.

The end of World War Two brought to an end the unprecedented period of European global hegemony which had been building from the fifteenth century and reached its height in the years from 1870-1918. By 1945 and the end of the Second World War the major imperial nations of Europe were economically devastated and unable to hold on to their overseas colonies. This inadequacy combined with a rising international support for independence and national self-determination led to the rapid break up of European imperialism in the twenty years that followed the Second World War.