What was Kipling's "White Man's Burden" thesis?
The 'White Man's Burden,' as I articulated it, was not a statement of inherent superiority, but a recognition of responsibilities. It was the heavy obligation placed upon civilized peoples to guide and uplift those less advanced, for their own good and for the greater order of things. It meant undertaking the thankless, arduous task of administering justice, bringing the benefits of ordered society, and shouldering the burden of governance. This was not a matter of pride, but of stern necessity, a duty owed to the progress of mankind, however ungratefully it might be received at times.
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