The world was going through several important changes by the time "If" was written. Pounds were rolling around when economic changes into play in England. New technologies were sprouting up all over the world that would change the lives of every family in the modern world. Politically England was coming out of their shells and opening up to new ideas. Even religion and science were feeling change and this would cause the largest controversies in history. Military changes helped to top off the barrel of atmosphere that helped to inspire "If". All of these factors may have contributed to why Rudyard Kipling wrote "If".
The economy of England, Kipling's residence when he wrote "If", was changing very rapidly. First was the death of one of England's greatest queens, Queen Victoria, in 1900(Glennon 19). Then a new area of work opened, the Telegraph became the first long-distance communication on December 12, 1901. This message was the letter "S" sent in Morse code from England traveling 1800 miles to Newfoundland (Glennon 18). The Boer War had depleted the English Treasury and this war finally came to an end, in favor of the Africans, in 1902. This depleted the economic surplus England had before the war and caused them to lose more money on reconstruction. (Glennon 24) The British also built luxury liners like the great Lusitania, completed in 1907 and outfitted with ten twelve inch guns (Glennon 54). Then came Ford's model T, rolling out all over the world and creating new jobs in 1908 (Glennon 60). All of these contributed to the changing economy and went hand in hand with the new technologies coming out. .
Technology changed along with the economy and helped influence daily life. The skies were opened up even more with the invention of the helicopter in 1907 (Glennon 56). Then came the invention of Gas Masks in 1915, which saved the lives of countless soldiers and civilians in the years past (Glennon 114).
