Social Darwinism most heavily affected the US government's relationship to big business during the late 1800s, coined by Mark Twain as "the Gilded Age." The theory affected this relationship by convincing (or allowing politicians to convince themselves) that only the strongest will survive and thus the government operated under a <em>laissez-faire </em>system (French for "hands off"). The government felt it should not regulate or weigh in on business issues and instead let businesses conduct affairs amongst themselves; however, this led to the creation of large monopolies, the formation of a moneyed elite still with us today, and the creation of the now huge wealth gap between the richest and poorest Americans.
The picture you are referring to is the one from Ancient Egypt, I believe. The barge appears to be transporting t<span>wo obelisks and it can be assumed that they will be used for a temple.</span>
The most common form of rule in world history has been monarchy (from the Greek <em>monos</em>, "one," and <em>arche</em>, "power"). It is an unipersonal, hereditary and lifelong form of government. The Head of State is the king (or queen), the prince or the emperor. Although monarchy was at first absolute (the ruler had absolute or total power), it then evolved into a limited form (the ruler needed the help of the most powerful members of society) and finally into a constitutional form (the ruler is primarily a symbolic figure and the nation is governed by a parliament).
At present, the monarchy is the form of government of a few countries around the world, such as Spain, England, Japan and Denmark, to name a few.
There were many aspects that they inspired. Religion was one certainly where many religions were inspired by Mesopotamian or Egyptian gods and stories about them. Another is language and cultural heritage. Another is their knowledge of urbanization and agriculture that enabled them to focus their endeavors on other more spiritual things since they had this covered.
