Jesse Jaramillo Essays - Racism, British People, Identity Politics

Jesse Jaramillo History 4C Prof. Adrienne Edgar The Effects of Imperialism on Europe and Abroad Imperialism in the late 1800's and early 1900's resulted in equally great social and political changes in both the host regions and colonizing countries. From change in how citizens viewed their nation to changes in national relationships, imperialism had far reaching effects around the globe. These changes were equally drastic but not equally beneficial. I will use the purpose of colonization expressed in "White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling and the sweeping social change stated in "Why We are Militant" by Emmeline Pankhurst to show the broad effects imperialism had on the people of imperialistic countries as a group, and I will use the first-person account of experiencing imperialism in "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell to show the effect imperialism had on citizens of colonizing countries as individuals. The cultural impact on the colonizers was great. Nationalism and racism grew rampant among those who supported imperialism. Children's books were filled with racist images of Africans and pro-imperialist messages. Violence and movement, pro-imperialism European citizens felt that they were part of something when their country made plays to take colonies. "Shooting an Elephant", a first-person account by George Orwell, describes his feelings and duties as a British police officer in Burma during the time of colonization. Orwell, who did not approve of imperialism, writes, "All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible."Though, Orwell disagreed with his empire's actions, he still calls the Burmese people "evil-spirited beasts" because they were angry at him as he seemed to be the symbol of their British oppressors. This shows that the culture of the people of the colonizing co untry were against those who they were conquering. It created a mindset of division between groups of people through their nationalities and wealth. In the poem "White Man's Burden", by Rudyard Kipling, a well-known propagandist for the British Empire, describes how a culture of imperialism gave reason to colonization in the eyes of the Europeans. Europeans believed they were civilizing and advancing inferior cultures, which is exemplified in the poem when Kipling states, "Go, bind your sons to exile to serve your captives' need". In this quote, we see that Europeans feel that they are doing a service to their "captives". When he continues on, he writes, "Take up the White Man's burden, and reap his old reward - the blame of those ye better the hate of those ye guard," to show the selfish idea that the Europeans deserved penance for their good deeds in nurturing and advancing their colonized people. Kipling shows that the colonizers feel they are treated unfairly and that they shoul d be gratified instead. The poem as a whole shows the growing racism and feeling of superiority in white Europeans by implying themselves as the guardians of the uncivilized world. Imperialism changed the culture of Europeans by increasing the influence of nationalism and racism. Colonization was a prominent factor in changing the culture of colonized countries. The colonized were victims of exploitation and discrimination. Some colonized areas succeeded, "Treaty ports like Hong Kong were transformed as Europeans built banks, shipping enterprises, schools, and religious missions. As Europeans and indigenous peoples encountered and transformed one another, new hybrid cultures emerged." while others were in torment, "Elsewhere, new social instabilities were produced as European demand for labor brought men out of their villages, away from their families, and crowded them into shanty towns bordering sprawling new cities. Hopes that European rule would create a well-disciplined labor force was quickly dashed." In Africa, which had no clear boundaries due to the indigenous people being a tribal culture, colonization drew boundaries that separated families and forced enemies together. In the colonies, there was exploitation and suffering on a scale never before see n. Entire peoples were forced to work under strict rules that often resulted in deadly punishment. A culture of fear and hatred arose. As people mixed, imperial and indigenous, cultures also mixed. The Europeans were becoming more militant as the enthusiasm for colonization grew. Many countries took part in colonizing different parts of