Tim Flynn
Honors World History
New Imperialism Essay
“The path of progress is strewn with the wrecks of nations; traces are every where to be seen of the (slaughtered remains) of inferior races. Yet these dead people are, in very truth, the stepping stones on which mankind has arisen to the higher intellectual and deeper emotional life of today” The above quote made by a British professor in 1900 presents a view of imperialism as being highly influenced by the ideas of racism and Social Darwinism. Moreover it suggests that the discrimination held in such ideologies has been rightfully warranted in the progression of a European imperialist mindset. It can be seen however, that through Britain’s establishment of direct rule in India, the destruction of cottage industries in Imperialist colonies and the little done for economic development of Imperialist colonies themselves, that the ideas of racism and Social Darwinism were only sub-motivators to a main economic motivation in the development of the New Imperialism.
Though various discriminating factors upon the Indian people had lain in Imperialist colonies, they were only mere shadows of an immense economic presence that provoked the New imperialism. The direct rule of the British in colonial India buttresses such a statement. Britain’s decision to directly rule over India makes apparent India’s value a colony, taking nothing to chance, the British took absolute control of the highly profitable nation. In turn, by taking direct rule, the British saw after all aspects of the Indian economy, molding and sculpting it to benefit themselves. Moreover, it was this strong rule over India’s economy that allowed the British to extract its resources more efficiently to meet the needs of the second stage of the Industrial Revolution, thus making Imperialism a financially viable solution to Europe’s economic needs. As concerning Social Darwinism and racism however, they were only effects of the economic actions of the British. Social Darwinist ideas merely served as justification of the European presence as can be interpreted in George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant. In describing his situation, Orwell states “A white man mustn’t be frightened in front of “natives”; and so, in general, he isn’t frightened.” The idea that the superior whites must not be afraid of their lower class savage counterparts is only minimally influential in the New Imperialism in comparison to the various economic motives.
