1
Elizabeth Biswell
AP World History – Per.8
April 30, 2013
AP Group Study Project: Social Darwinism
What is the dictionary definition for this idea/event?
 The application of Darwinism to the study of human society, specifically a theory in
sociology that individuals or groups achieve advantage over others as the result of genetic
or biological superiority.
 The theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws
of natural selection as plants and animals. Now largely discredited, social Darwinism was
advocated by Herbert Spencer and others in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and
was used to justify political conservatism, imperialism, and racism and to discourage
intervention and reform.
Who (give me precise people) started this idea/event?
 In 1859 Charles Darwin published a book titled “On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection”. This book discussed the idea that organisms with certain
characteristics would survive and reproduce while organisms without them would die.
Darwin started the belief of “Survival of the Fittest”, however, he was not the one who
applied this belief to humans. He did not start Social Darwinism but it couldn’t have
happened without his findings.
 Social Darwinism was actually started by people who lived under Laissez-faire
capitalism. Herbert Spencer, Walter Bagehot, and William Graham Sumner advocated
that if the government did not regulate the market system, only those people who were
socially fit would survive. They stated that people who had money and assets (the rich)
would survive and those who did not (the poor) would die.
 The concept of Social Darwinism also started in Britain under the belief that the British
were the most powerful and fit, and that this made them superior to other races.
Europeans’ were ethnocentric and viewed other civilizations as uncivilized. They
believed that they were obligated with the “White Man’s Burden” to take control of other
civilizations and dominate them while teaching them how to be European.
What were the reasons that this happened (previous philosophies/events that led up to
this)?
 In the late-nineteenth century, Herbert Spencer began to take Darwin’s evolution theories
from his book and started to apply them to people. He was the one who used “survival of
the fittest” while referring to humans. Herbert was led to use Darwin’s research to
describe what he believed about the government intervening with society. He said that the
government was disrupting the “natural” process of human evolution by helping the weak
humans survive (providing them with healthcare, public education, welfare, etc.)
 Meanwhile in America, William Graham Sumner was also using Darwin’s belief to
advocate the free-market system (laissez-faire) and defend the wealth and social statuses
of each individual person; saying that society should eliminate the weak (poor) and let the
strong (rich) flourish.
 Businessmen who defended their business practices as “natural” used Social Darwinism
to support them. They would state that their business should not be interfered with
Elizabeth Biswell
2
AP World History – Per.8
April 30, 2013
because it was “natural selection” for them to manufacture and gain wealth; they would
use social Darwinism to defend that their success would benefit society.
List and describe the major events and people in this idea/event?
 Adolf Hitler used social Darwinism to establish and lead the Nazi party. Hitler was
convinced that the Aryan race was the most evolved race and, that inferior races (ex:
Slavs & Jews) had tainted the German race.
 Darwinism justified and encouraged the Nazi views on both race and war. Hitler
developed policies designed to protect the “superior race” which meant that the “inferior
races” were to be prevented from mixing with the superior race and kept away from
society’s gene pool. This resulted in the Holocaust and the killing approximately six
million Jews and four other people who were also considered an “inferior race”.
 Social Darwinism has often been considered to help in the creation of nationalism and
imperialism (colonialism). During the age of New Imperialism, the concepts of Social
Darwinism supported the struggle for dominance and the idea of becoming united
throughout nationalism (my empire/people is superior to yours)
What countries/civilizations were affected most by this idea/event?
 From 1750 to 1914, the access to education was still denied to the majority of women due
to ideas to mental inferiority based on social Darwinism.
 The Jewish, Slavs, Gays, Gypsies, handicapped, sick, and those with disability who were
believed to be part of the “inferior race” during the Holocaust.
 The Japanese have been influenced by Social Darwinism since the 19th century and it has
influenced political, public health, and social movements in their country; it has
contributed to their beliefs of nationalism.
 In China, Social Darwinism caused the “New Life movement” which attempted to meet
communism ideology with a mix of Confucianism, and nationalism, while rejecting ideas
of individualism and capitalism. This was during the 1930s, when Chinese leaders were
trying to rid the nation of corruption, factionalism, and an opium addiction.
 As mentioned above, Social Darwinism affected America when it came to the Laissezfaire (free-market system)
What effects of this idea/event do we encounter today?
 The extreme beliefs of Social Darwinism that were part of many societies in the 19th and
20th century are no longer seen nowadays. However, disagreements between social
classes still exist.
 It bleakly supported the idea of “individualism” and has contributed to the “American
dream” and the nationalism of many nations.
 It can also be seen as a principal in the capitalistic belief, which favors each person being
responsible for creating their own wealth rather than depending on the government’s help
(socialism).