7.1 Shifting Power after 1900

Cracks in the old empires

By 1900, the Ottoman, Qing, and Russian empires faced internal crises: economic weakness, ethnic nationalism, and pressure from industrialized powers. Reform movements like the Young Turks in the Ottoman Empire and the Self-Strengthening Movement in China tried to modernize militaries and bureaucracies, but these efforts often came too late to prevent decline or revolution.

New alliances and rivalries

Industrialized states competed for resources, markets, and prestige, forming shifting alliance systems (like the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente). Rising nationalism, militarism, and imperial competition created tension across Europe and Asia, setting the stage for large-scale conflict as older empires weakened and new powers like Japan and the United States gained influence.

New powers emerge

Japan modernized rapidly (Meiji Restoration) and defeated Russia in 1905, shocking the world and proving a non-Western nation could beat a European power. The United States expanded its global reach after the Spanish-American War (1898). These shifts signaled a changing balance of power away from traditional European empires.

Key terms

Self-Strengthening Movement

Qing China's late-1800s effort to modernize its military and economy while keeping traditional Confucian values.

Young Turks

A reform movement in the Ottoman Empire pushing for modernization and constitutional government.

Russo-Japanese War (1905)

Conflict in which Japan defeated Russia, proving a non-Western power could beat a European empire.

Meiji Restoration

Japan's rapid modernization program (military, industry, government) starting in 1868.

Alliance systems

Networks of mutual defense agreements (e.g., Triple Entente, Triple Alliance) that divided Europe before WWI.

Try an AP-style question

The Qing dynasty collapsed in 1911 largely because of…

1. a Mongol invasion from the north
2. a peaceful handover to Japan
3. annexation by the British Empire
4. internal revolts and foreign pressure