Activities

1. Analyzing Poetry about Imperialism

One of the most famous poems advocating that European nations imperialize undeveloped countries was "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling:

Take up the white man's burden,
Send forth the best ye breed –
Go, bind your sons to exile,
To servey our captives' need.
To wail in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild –
Your new caught sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

"The Poor Man's Burden," a poem by Howard Taylor, was in answer to Kipling's:

Pile up the poor man's burden;
Keep in the old, old track!
Let glory ride, as ever,
Upon the toiler's back.
Lay tax and tax upon him,
Devised with subtle skill
And let him pay the bill!

After reading both poems, please answer the following questions:

  1. Explain the meaning of the first poem.
  2. Explain the meaning of the second poem.
  3. How accurate is Kipling's version of the people that the Europeans would colonize?
  4. In Taylor's version, to what extent is the success of the colonizer due to his ingenuity?
  5. Would less developed nations have been better off if industrial nations had not colonized or imperialized them?
  6. In the case of imperialism, does "might make right"?

2. Headlines, Maps and Central America

So that students can learn about the importance of Central America today, have each one bring in a newspaper article dealing with the region (including Mexico). It may be necessary to start by indicating these countries on a map. Then divide the class into groups of four or five, summarizing their articles to each other. Each group should choose a secretary to take notes. The major points to be discussed should include:

Finally, each secretary summarizes the articles to the whole class, noting common themes such as poverty, war, etc.

3. Analyzing A Contract

Below is an actual contract made between the government of Costa Rica and a private company towards the end of the19th century.

The Government grants to the company: 80,000 acres of undeveloped national lands along the railroad line or in any other part of the country, to be selected by the company, with all the natural wealth which said areas contain and the strip of land for the right-of-way for the building of the railroad and the necessary structures; and all kinds of material necessary for the construction of the railroad which may be found in undeveloped national lands anywhere along the railroad; and two of the lots of national property now measured in the port of Limon, for the construction of wharves, warehouses and stations -- all without reimbursement of any sort…

The Government cannot lay taxes on said lands within twenty years, counting from the effective date of this concession -- it being understood that upon expiration of this term of twenty years, lands that have not been cultivated or utilized in any other manner shall return to the Government without the latter having to make any indemnity payment of any sort.

After reading the above, please respond to the following questions:

  1. Based upon the contract, what benefit did the Costa Rican government receive?
  2. What were the benefits received by the company
  3. What are some of the reasons that the government may have entered into this contract?
  4. Which party seemed to gain most from the con- tract? Why?
  5. Check some recent newspaper articles. Has the United States entered any such agreements lately.
  6. How important was railroad construction to the economy of Costa Rica?

4. Researching A Multinational Corporation

During the latter part of the 19th century, the multinational corporation began to emerge, as demonstrated by the rise of United Fruit. Many were active in what is described as third world countries, opening up new markets.

After two world wars, this type of corporation has become more powerful and its economic positions more concentrated. Although the United States has more of such corporations (some of which are Anaconda Copper, Chase Manhattan Bank, Ford, Exxon, General Electric, General Motors, Mobil, and Sears Roebuck) than any other country, European and Japanese multinational firms also exert powerful economic influence. Choose one multinational corporation (see Fortune magazine's directory of 500 leading corporations) and request information about it, including its latest annual report. Many of the firms have headquarters or offices in New York. Use the material to write a short report which includes answers to the following:

  1. the corporation's major products
  2. countries with which the company deals
  3. tone of the annual report, especially concerning its impact upon countries with which it deals
  4. any positive or negative comments read or heard about the company
  5. evaluation of the effect this corporation has had upon some of the nations with which it is involved

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