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The Pros And Cons Of Social Darwinism

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The first source states that though the law of competition may be difficult for individuals, it is ultimately better for the race since it ensures the survival of the fittest in all departments. The majority of the source describes the concept of Social Darwinism, a theory advocated by Herbert Spencer and others in the late 19th century. The perspective is of a Social Darwinism supporter. The perspective of the source implies that the theory of Social Darwinism is most beneficial for the race because by having the strict law of competition, it weeds out “the weak” nations, and leaves only the “fit” nation's behind to rule. The idea of survival of the fittest that Social Darwinism applied to human societies intensified the feeling of nationalism, …show more content…

The monarch, representing British royalty, sitting at the dining table is symbolising the mother country, which is obviously noted by the sign across her body. The queen’s posture in the cartoon communicates the message that she thinks highly of herself, and believes to be entitled to the resources found in the colonies. All three maidservants are marked with the label colony at the bottom of their aprons. The platters being held up for the royal to choose from are illustrative of the natural resources the colonies provide for the mother country, in this case they are labelled “gold and silver”, “foodstuffs”, and “raw materials”. Whomever supports the third source would have an extremely Eurocentric mindset. The mercantile system relied on the resources of the colonies to be imported to the European mother country, so that manufactured goods could be made, and then exported to increase the economy of that specific nation-state. The Europeans, as implied by the cartoon, relied on gold and silver reserves from the colony to maintain their own reserves, since metallic monetary systems were now being utilized. Mercantilism is economic nationalism for the purpose of building a wealthy and powerful state. A prime example that demonstrates this idea was the Opium Wars between China and Britain. The British needed resources from the Chinese, such as porcelain and tea, and wished to trade British goods in return. However, the Chinese were demanding to be paid in silver, which would result in the country’s silver reserves being drained. The outcome being an impact to their economy because of the impact it would have on the mercantile system. The Opium Wars began when Britain decided to begin smuggling opium into

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