Colonialism and empire
Conquest, colonial rule and decolonisation.
MassacreZong massacre
The killing of enslaved Africans followed by a court dispute over their insurance value.
GenocideHerero and Nama genocide
Germany's colonial extermination campaign against Ovaherero and Nama communities.
Forced labour systemCongo Free State rubber regime
Colonial rubber extraction enforced through coercion and violence under Leopold II.
FamineBengal famine
Mass starvation during wartime, shaped by colonial priorities and unequal access to food.
MassacreJallianwala Bagh massacre
The British Indian Army's mass shooting of a crowd in an enclosed Amritsar garden.
Colonial warMaji Maji war and repression
An anti-colonial uprising met by the destruction of villages, crops and livelihoods.
Colonial detention systemMau Mau detention system
Detention and torture during Britain's suppression of the Kenyan independence struggle.
FamineGreat Famine of Ireland
A crop catastrophe made deadlier by poverty, land inequality and failures of relief.
FamineGreat Famine of 1876–1878
Drought and hunger intensified by restrictive colonial relief and inadequate support.
Colonial massacresSétif, Guelma and Kherrata massacres
Mass repression of Algerians as Europe celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Colonial conquestFrench conquest of Algeria
The military conquest that established French rule through dispossession and destructive warfare.
Colonial detention systemItalian concentration camps in Cyrenaica
Mass deportation and confinement used to break Libyan resistance to Fascist Italy.
Chemical warfareItalian chemical warfare in Ethiopia
Fascist Italy's use of mustard gas during its invasion of Ethiopia.
GenocideCalifornia genocide
State-supported violence and coercive labour directed against California's Native peoples.
MassacreSand Creek massacre
A US military attack on a Cheyenne and Arapaho camp seeking peace.
Forced removalTrail of Tears: Cherokee removal
The forced expulsion of the Cherokee Nation despite widespread opposition to removal.
Forced assimilation systemCanadian residential-school system
The separation of Indigenous children from families to suppress cultures and identities.
Forced child removalStolen Generations
The removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under discriminatory policies.
Coercive labour tradeBlackbirding and Queensland's Islander labour trade
Kidnapping and deceptive recruitment behind Queensland's plantation labour system.
Freedom and rightsThe Haitian Revolution
Overthrowing plantation slavery and founding an independent Black republic.
Freedom and rightsThe Salt March
Turning a tax on an everyday necessity into a mass challenge to colonial rule.
Mass displacementPartition and mass displacement in South Asia
The displacement and communal violence accompanying the end of British rule.
Colonial conferenceBerlin Conference
European powers setting rules for colonial claims in Africa without African representation.
Colonial battleBattle of Plassey
A Company victory that opened the way to British political control in Bengal.
Colonial conquestDutch conquest of the Banda Islands
A nutmeg monopoly imposed through massacre, enslavement and the destruction of Bandanese society.
Colonial conquestBenin expedition and looting
The British invasion of Benin and dispersal of its royal artworks into overseas collections.
Anti-colonial victoryBattle of Adwa
Ethiopian forces defeating Italy's attempt to impose colonial control.
Political overthrowOverthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The removal of Queen Liliʻuokalani and the destruction of Hawaiian sovereign government.
Postcolonial crisisCongo crisis
Independence followed by secession, foreign intervention and the rise of Mobutu.
Anti-colonial resistanceMapuche resistance and the Arauco War
Mapuche resistance preventing lasting Spanish conquest of much of southern Chile.