The Role of Social Darwinism in European Imperialism

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Social Darwinism fueled imperialism by making imperialistic nations believe that their imperialistic ventures were a natural turn of events and not a cruel, opressionistic system of government. These imperialistic nations exploited other nations and cultures and their troops’ motivation was the glory of the nation and the eradication of the weaker races on earth. These soldiers believed in Social Darwinism. Also, nations were able to become imperialistic because of the support of their people. They “marketed” imperialism through Social Darwinism. Finally, when these weaker countries were taken over, they were brainwashed to believe that the invasion and oppression of their people were just a result of nature. These oppressed people believed this because, according to Social Darwinism, only the fittest survive. And so, the imperialistic nations would survive and multiply while the oppressed civilizations were invaded and changed.
Troops in the armed forces of these imperialistic nations justified their actions through Social Darwinism. Troops in the Royal Armed Forces of Britain invaded more land than any other empire that ever existed. The troops invaded so successfully because they had sound motivation. Their motivation was the glory of their country and their belief that by invading these countries, they were eliminating the world of weak races. The British believed that they were the highest race of people on earth and so they plundered diff...

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