Imperialism and Genocide
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
 
See additional required resources within the option instructions.
 
Instructions
 
For this assignment, select one of the following options:
 
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