Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was a scientist who first understood and wrote about evolution.

Multiple Choice

Who is the scientist who wrote about evolution?

• Issac Newton

• Herbert Spenser

• Charles Darwin

Evolution

Evolution is the process of plants and animals changing over time to adapt to their environment

Multiple Choice

Evolution is the process of plants and animals changing over time to adapt to their:

• environment

• economics

• social structure

Darwin's Ideas

Darwin studied birds and realized that they adapted to fit their environment.

Darwinism

• Darwinism is the idea that the plant or animal that adapts the best will survive and reproduce.

• This is called Natural Selection because nature chooses the ones who will survive.

• This is also called Survival of the Fittest.

Multiple Choice

Another way to say that the animal or plant that survives because of Natural Selection is:

• Herbert Spenser

• Nature

• Survival of the Fittest

Social Darwinism

• Social Darwinism is a racist idea that combined Darwin's ideas of natural selection and Herbert Spenser's idea that societies evolve from lower (barbarians) to higher (civilized).

• Europeans and white societies believed their cultures were civilized, and African and Asian cultures were barbarians.

Multiple Choice

People who believed in Social Darwinism thought European Cultures were more evolved and Civilized. They also believed African cultures were

• Lower and not civilized

• Higher and Civilized

• Interesting and worth studying

Excuses for Imperialism

Like the White Man's Burden, Social Darwinism was a reason Europeans used for taking advantage of Indigenous Cultures in other countries and continents

Multiple Choice

Two Social reasons for Imperialism and the Race for Africa were:

• The White Man's Burden and Communism

• Social Darwinism and the White Man's Burden

• Social Darwinism and Communism