The name of the poem became a nominal designation of the mission of the imperialists in the colonial possessions.
Kipling depicts the non-European peoples of them as underdeveloped, dangerous and demanding constant control and assistance from the "white nations". In this regard, the text was often viewed as racist and pro-European-chauvinistic, as a cover for colonial policy, primarily by Britain, justifying its capture in Asia and Africa by humanistic considerations.
