Imperialism: On The Origin Of Species By Rudyard Kipling

Imperialism and the spread of empire felt a new surge of importance in the second half of the 19th century. As industries began looking for new resources and markets to sell their goods, countries began to expand their economic and political power over the majority of the world. This new surge of economic conquest was the result not only of industrialism, but of nationalism and the new phenomenon known as Social Darwinism. When Charles Darwin published his work, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, many leading figures in Europe interpreted it as a justification of social class discrepancies and racial superiority. Class discrepancies and racial superiority were not new occurrences on the European Continent, but they were now backed by scientific evidence that stated

The Origin of Species did not directly cause the renewed surge of imperialism, it did however, cause an increase in the feeling of racial superiority that seemed to give Europeans the responsibility of civilizing the rest of the

The task of European nationalist to spread their nation’s power while also aiding those of the newly conquered land proved too daunting to accomplish. Rudyard Kipling illustrates in The White Man’s Burden the true pain of being a white European. Through the adventures of imperialism it was discovered that Europe could not help themselves and the world at the same time, “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 hopes to nought.” (Kipling). With Europe’s task of improving its status from an economic standpoint being the dominant reasoning for the imperialist actions, the idea of helping others soon went to the wayside so long as the European nation remained on top by its own