Essay on Colonialism and Imperialism - The White Mans...

Imperialism: The White Mans Burden In one of his most famous poems, Rudyard Kipling said, Take up the white mans burden! (146). He was only one of many who believed in the virtues of imperialism in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. During that period, imperialism was on the rise, and Africa was being swallowed up by competing European nations. The imperialists had many arguments supporting imperialism. They said it was beneficial and, in some cases, essential. Their arguments did not satisfy everyone, but that did not bother them. The justifications ranged from economics to social services, while touching on everything else in between (Hayes 222-3). Kipling was one of the most talked†¦show more content†¦Businessmen needed new markets where their goods would not be taxed (Lugard 379-81). These new markets would also create more of a demand for products which would in turn create more jobs for the Europeans back home (Chamberlain 180). The Africans also provided a cheap labor source for companies built in Africa. The natives were said to be submissive and to pick up on things quickly, which made them prime candidates for the tough manual labor they were required to perform. The combination of new markets and new labor did wonders for commercial competition (Lugard 380-2). Perhaps the Europeans realized that economic advantages alone would not be enough to convince everyone that imperialism was valuable to society. Therefore, they thought of many other justifications in an attempt to convince people. One such justification was that they were actually helping the Africans (Rhodes 178). Kipling considered it their duty to rescue sullen peoples who were half devil and half child (146). When described in that manner, it is hard to imagine a decent person who would not want to reach out to the wretched souls. The Europeans brought new wonders of technology to Africa to try to bring it up to par with Europe (Lugard 380-1). They did bring a material improvement to the lives of the Africans in this manner (Chamberlain 181). The Europeans built schools, improved communications and transportation, and also brought new medicines (Greenberger 93). Still,Show MoreRelatedWhite Man s Burden By Rudyard Kipling1354 Words   |  6 Pages Imperialism English writer Rudyard Kipling published a very famous poem called â€Å"White Man’s Burden† in 1899 which embodied the European feel of superiority over the indigenous peoples. Kipling published this poem when the Americans were conquering different places. In fact, the original subtitle of this poem was â€Å"The United States and the Philippine Islands.† This was because the United States had acquired the Philippines from Spain after winning the Spanish-American War. 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