Explain the civilizing mission, History

Assignment Help:

The Civilizing Mission

The earliest and, to some, most important reason for establishment of European colonial empires had been to spread Christianity. By the later 19th century, this idea had evolved into a broader goal: spreading what most Europeans believed to be their higher form of civilization. Most Europeans of this time believed that their continent had become more economically, politically and culturally advanced than Africa and Asia, because the people there Europeans believed were "primitive" and uncivilized. They believed therefore that Europeans had a "civilizing mission" to spread their way of life around the world.

This idea was linked by many to the theories of Charles Darwin on the evolution of species. Some, like Karl Pearson, modified Darwin's theory into a theory of "survival of the fittest." This modified theory, known as social Darwinism, held that some people were naturally selected to rule over others. Social Darwinists applied this to mean that the more "civilized" race of Europeans should rule over all the "less civilized" people of the world. To support this argument, social Darwinists pointed to the racial difference between Europeans and Africans.

They considered the black skins of people from central and southern Africa to be evidence that Europeans were genetically more advanced. They therefore considered it the historical responsibility of Europeans to spread their superior culture to the rest of the world. This idea was expressed as the "white man's burden."

 


Related Discussions:- Explain the civilizing mission

Describe the dakota ideal of political leadership, I just need a few ideas ...

I just need a few ideas for each of these to write some paragraphs for. 1. The movie, Fargo, presents an interesting and challenging picture of Minnesota culture and identity. W

Chapter 3 Section 3 the commercial North , True or False ? The religous Rev...

True or False ? The religous Revival that swept through the olonies during the mid 1700s was known as the gloriuos revolution

How did eastern and western europe differ, How did Eastern and Western Euro...

How did Eastern and Western Europe differ after the Second World War? How did the events of 1968 in France and Czechoslovakia reflect these differences?

#title.world civ 2., Ask question #Minimum 100 words acceIn what ways were ...

Ask question #Minimum 100 words acceIn what ways were the intellectual and cultural developments in the Western world between 1800 and 1914 related to the economic, social, and pol

Painting is not done to decorate apartments, Pablo Picasso once wrote "pain...

Pablo Picasso once wrote "painting is not done to decorate apartments; it is an instrument of war." Explain what you think Picasso meant in this quote about artists and their paint

Why are tanks still a major force in infantry, Why are tanks still a major ...

Why are tanks still a major force in infantry, despite many anti-tank tactics and technology? Why do some believe the tanks to be obsolete, despite their usage today?

What do you meant by sister circles, Winkle-Wagner employed a group method,...

Winkle-Wagner employed a group method, "Sister Circles," to gather data for her research in Not Feminist But Strong. What value do you see in maintaining such groups for women at h

Discuss accomplishments of the sui and tang dynasties, Discuss the accompli...

Discuss the accomplishments of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Present specific historical examples to support your comments. Describe the process of the political and cultural cent

Undocumented immigrant, 1) Compare and contrast the unequal treatment of cu...

1) Compare and contrast the unequal treatment of currently "undocumented immigrant" with the unequal treatment of african-american, during the Jim Crow era? 2) According to your

Republicanism and liberty affect slavery in the new nation, Following the r...

Following the revolution, increasing numbers of Americans questioned how slavery could exist in a republican society. How did beliefs in republicanism and liberty affect slavery in

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd