Question

Explain the cultural, religious, and racial ideologies that were used to justify imperialism from 1750 to 1900

Answer 1

One ideology that was used to justify imperialism was social Darwinism, which was the theory that other races and nations were genetically inferior, and deserved and required imperialism. It’s called social Darwinism because the theory of Charles Darwin was that of natural selection, where some species are naturally selected to be able to prosper and evolve. Species with traits that would allow them to survive will pass their genes onto the next generation, and so forth. So with social Darwinism, it follows the same principle; other races and ethnicities were naturally selected to be BETTER than others. Another ideology was nationalism, which is when people of a certain ethnicity, race, or nation are united under their similarities. This often fueled imperialism because it tied into social Darwinism, as it made people of a common background feel like they were superior to other nations, and by having nationalistic attitudes, they had the unity to accomplish imperialism. Another ideology that was commonly believed in states with a Caucasian majority was “The White Man’s Burden.” In many imperialistic countries, people believed that it was their duty to civilize other countries and that it was good for both sides. This also tied into social Darwinism, as the belief that the white man was genetically superior to others was very prevalent in this ideology. Another ideology that was used to justify imperialism was the desire to convert indigenous populations to Christianity. It was justified as showing the indigenous people the way to salvation, and that it was good for them, but in reality, they were suppressing their culture.