England has to fulfill a double mission in India: one…
“England has to fulfill a double mission in India: one destructive, the other regenerating - the annihilation of old Asiatic society, and the laying the material foundations of Western society in Asia... When a great social revolution shall have mastered the results of the bourgeois epoch... and subjected them to the common control of the most advanced peoples, then only will human progress cease to resemble that hideous, pagan idol, who would not drink the nectar but from the skulls of the slain.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A colonial mission aims to destroy old societies and build Western structures, but true progress requires common control by advanced peoples.
In simple terms: Colonialism replaces old societies with Western ones.
Key Takeaway
Seek equitable development, not domination.
Themes
colonialism
progress
society
power
economics
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
political
historical
When to use this quote
- development policy
- education reform
- post‑colonial studies
- activism
Key Concepts
marxist theory
imperialism
social transformation
Questions to Reflect On
- How can development empower local populations?
- What alternatives exist to Western domination?
A Different Perspective
Colonial narratives often ignore local agency.