WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Social Darwinism is a loose set of ideologies that emerged in the late 1800s in which Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was used to justify certain political, social, or economic views.

Detailed explanation-2: -Charles Darwin popularized the concept of survival of the fittest as a mechanism underlying the natural selection that drives the evolution of life. Organisms with genes better suited to the environment are selected for survival and pass them to the next generation.

Detailed explanation-3: -By extending their arguments to address entire nations, some social Darwinists justified imperialism on the basis that the imperial powers were naturally superior and their control over other nations was in the best interest of human evolution.

Detailed explanation-4: -Natural selection is sometimes summed up as “survival of the fittest” because the “fittest” organisms-those most suited to their environment-are the ones that reproduce most successfully, and are most likely to pass on their traits to the next generation.

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.