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History glossary

colonization

the settlement or control of territory by an outside power.

Category
Political process
Region
Global
Date range
Varies

What it means

The settlement or control of territory by an outside power.

Stories using this term

The Ethiopian Empire

From Tewodros II's reunification drive to Haile Selassie's overthrow, Ethiopia defended independence, expanded imperial power, modernised unevenly and held a unique place in modern African history.

Imperial Japan

From Meiji modernisation to colonial rule, militarism, mobilisation and defeat, Imperial Japan rose as a modern empire before collapsing in 1945.

Apartheid South Africa

From white minority rule to mass resistance, Mandela's release and the first democratic election, apartheid reshaped South Africa and the world.

The Punic Wars

From rivalry over Sicily to Hannibal's invasion, Zama, and the destruction of Carthage, the Punic Wars made Rome the dominant power of the Mediterranean and changed the Republic forever.

The Age of Exploration

An era of exploration and empire linking continents through trade, conquest, and cultural exchange.

The American Revolution and Early Republic

From colonial tensions to independence, this traces the birth and early struggles of the United States of America.

The Anglo Boer Conflict

A war between Britain and Boer republics that exposed imperial costs and reshaped South Africa.

The Anglo-Saxons

The Anglo-Saxons were the peoples and kingdoms that shaped Anglo-Saxon England after the end of Roman rule in Britain. From migration and settlement in Anglo-Saxon Britain to Christian conversion, Viking attacks, Alfred the Great, and the road to 1066, Anglo-Saxon history explains how early medieval England took form. Their language, laws, kingdoms, monasteries, and political traditions left a lasting mark on English identity before the Norman Conquest transformed the realm.

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