USA HISTORY

WESTWARD EXPANSION INDUSTRIALIZATION URBANIZATION 1870 1900

AMERICAN INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT IN THE GILDED AGE

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Which figure would support the idea of Social Darwinism?
A
John Rockefeller
B
Andrew Carnegie
C
Cornelius Vanderbilt
D
J.P. Morgan
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie amassed substantial power and wealth by building monopolies in oil and steel. They controlled the marketplace and fully embraced the philosophy of Social Darwinism and the belief in “survival of the fittest”.

Detailed explanation-2: -D. Rockefeller, president of the Standard Oil Company and an Ohioan, once contended that “the growth of a large business is merely a survival of the fittest.” Other proponents of Social Darwinism contended that God ordained that some people were to be wealthy and live comfortably on the hard work of others.

Detailed explanation-3: -Herbert Spencer based his concept of social evolution, popularly known as “Social Darwinism, ” on individual competition. Spencer believed that competition was “the law of life” and resulted in the “survival of the fittest."

Detailed explanation-4: -Herbert Spencer is famous for his doctrine of social Darwinism, which asserted that the principles of evolution, including natural selection, apply to human societies, social classes, and individuals as well as to biological species developing over geologic time.

Detailed explanation-5: -Many Social Darwinists embraced laissez-faire capitalism and racism. They believed that government should not interfere in the “survival of the fittest” by helping the poor, and promoted the idea that some races are biologically superior to others.

There is 1 question to complete.