Page 135 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol III

954 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Rudyard Kipling, The White Man’s Burden (1899)

In February 1899, British novelist and poet Rudyard To veil the threat of terror
Kipling wrote a poem entitled “The White Man’s Bur- And check the show of pride;
den:The United States and The Philippine Islands.” In By open speech and simple,
this poem, Kipling urged the United States to take up An hundred times made plain
the “burden” of building an empire, as had Britain and To seek another’s profit,
other European nations.Published in the February 1899 And work another’s gain.
issue of McClure’s Magazine, the poem coincided with Take up the White Man’s burden—
the U.S. Senate’s ratification of the treaty that placed The savage wars of peace—
Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines under Fill full the mouth of Famine
American control.The racist notion of the “White Man’s And bid the sickness cease;
Burden” became a euphemism for imperialism, and And when your goal is nearest
many anti-imperialists couched their opposition in re- The end for others sought,
action to the phrase. Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.
Take up the White Man’s burden—
Take up the White Man’s burden—
Send forth the best ye breed—
No tawdry rule of kings,
Go bind your sons to exile
But toil of serf and sweeper—
To serve your captives’ need;
The tale of common things.
To wait in heavy harness,
The ports ye shall not enter,
On fluttered folk and wild—
The roads ye shall not tread,
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Go mark them with your living,
Half-devil and half-child.
And mark them with your dead.
Take up the White Man’s burden—
Take up the White Man’s burden—
In patience to abide,
And reap his old reward:

Increasingly, European wars took on a global dimen- to as “mercantilism” and became a source of discontent
sion as conflicts in Europe were fought on the high seas in colonies as their economies developed. Until the
around the world and by small groups of European sol- American Revolution, the British were the major success
diers and their native proxies in locations as far apart as story of the eighteenth century, supplanting the Dutch as
Canada and India, with the Seven Years War (1756– the dominant naval power and winning a series of wars.
1763) being the best example. Settlements were initially These victories gave Britain a dominant position in the
seen as less important than trading posts, and they were Caribbean and North America and made Britain the
certainly less lucrative. British, French, and Dutch East dominant European power in India.
India Companies were established and were given British involvement in India would be crucial for the
extraordinary powers to administer territory, raise armies development of imperialism in both theory and practice
and fleets, and wage wars to promote and manage trade. during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Previ-
Europeans settled areas that had a climate similar to ously European empires had been trade oriented, estab-
Europe’s and that had few natives to put up resistance lishing trading posts to facilitate exchange, or colonial,
(largely due to diseases introduced by Europeans). Such taking advantage of favorable circumstances to transplant
areas were largely seen as a useful outlet for excess or dis- populations and essentially replicate themselves abroad.
contented populations in Europe and were given a large The New Imperialism was a shift in philosophy whereby
degree of autonomy in exchange for sending back re- European powers attempted to impose their political, eco-
sources for the home country.This practice was referred nomic, and cultural systems upon subject peoples.