Imperialism

Option 1: Imperialism
The exploitation of  colonial resources and indigenous labor was one of the key elements in  the success of imperialism. Such exploitation was a result of the  prevalent ethnocentrism of the time and was justified by the  unscientific concept of social Darwinism, which praised the  characteristics of white Europeans and inaccurately ascribed negative  characteristics to indigenous peoples. A famous poem of the time by  Rudyard Kipling, “White Man’s Burden,” called on imperial powers, and  particularly the U.S., at whom the poem was directed, to take up the  mission of civilizing these “savage” peoples.

Read the poem at the following link:

• Link (website): White Man’s Burden (Links to an external site.) (Rudyard Kipling)

After reading the poem, address the following in a case study analysis:

• Select a specific part of the world (a country), and examine  imperialism in that country. What was the relationship between the  invading country and the native people? You can select from these  examples or choose your own: 
  • Belgium & Africa
  • Britain & India
  • Germany & Africa
  • France & Africa
• Apply social Darwinism to this specific case.
• Analyze the motivations of the invading country?
• How did ethnocentrism manifest in their interactions?
• How does Kipling’s poem apply to your specific example? You can quote lines for com