2.5 The White Man's Burden

2.5 Perspectives on Imperialism

How were historical attitudes towards globalization and imperialism shown?

As you work through the ideas presented in this course, you will become increasingly aware that there are many different perspectives on the topic of globalization. The same is true for imperialism. In this section, we will look at some of the worldviews that were dominant during the New Imperialism era.

In its earliest form, New Imperialism was characterized by the attempts of many nations, individuals, and groups to dominate much of the world. As they tried to control and dominate other lands and peoples, imperialists brought technology, religion, values, beliefs, political systems, and economic systems to new lands. However, even at its very height, many people questioned imperialism and its methods.

In this study, you will have an opportunity to explore a perspective on imperialism. Rudyard Kipling, an English writer born in India, wrote a poem entitled "The White Man's Burden" which was published in 1899. Immediately it created a great uproar and became famous.

Take Up the White Man's Burden, and Reap His Old Reward

White Man's Burden by Rudyard Kipling (1899)

References used to describe native people are highlighted in red and references to describe white people are highlighted in blue.

(1) Take up the White Man's burden—
Send forth the best ye breed—
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.

(2) Take up the White Man's burden—
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain,
To seek another's profit,
and work another's gain.

(3) Take up the White Man's burden—
The savage wars of peace—
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hope to nought.

(4) Take up the White Man's burden—
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper—
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go mark them with your living
And mark them with your dead.

(5) Take up the White Man's burden—
An reap his old reward—
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard—
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:
"Why brought he us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"

(6) Take up the White Man's burden—
Ye dare not stoop to less—
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloke your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your God and you.

(7) Take up the White Man's burden—
Have done with childish days—
The lightly proffered laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgement of your peers!

This poem of Kipling's creates strong responses with most readers. His vivid and judgmental portrayal of the native peoples of the colonies in Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas represents the generally-held opinions of the white man of the times. That the white man was bound by duty both to rule and to save people in other nations was a popular belief.

To help your understanding of the elements of the poem, some interpretations of the poem are included stanza by stanza.

(1) The white man has to send the best young people of their country far away to serve the needs of the native people, who are wild, immature, and partly evil.

(2) The white man has to wait and work patiently, even though he is afraid. He cannot show any pride and will have to explain repeatedly what he is doing in simple terms. By doing this, he will benefit the native people.

(3) The white man has to fight to end the wars of the native people and to provide them with food and to cure their sickness. Then, when they have almost brought peace and wealth, they will have to watch the laziness and foolishness of the natives ruin all they have done.

(4) The role of the white man is to work as a servant to make things better for the natives. There may be places where the local population does not want him to go ("the ports ye shall not enter"), but he should go there despite the opposition, even if some of the white men will die as a result.

(5) Although the white man will move the native people towards enlightenment, at the end, the native people will tell him that they preferred their old life.

(6) The white man is bound by duty to take up this work. He cannot justify his actions by saying they will bring "freedom". Everything he says and does will be used by the native people to judge him and his God.

(7) It's time for the white man to behave maturely and accept the fact that even though he has spent years serving the people of the colonies, he will never be thanked and will be judged badly by his peers.