Question
The Survival of the Fittest: A Future Vision”
“Our prophetic abilities enable us to create the image above, a vision of a predicted future aristocracy that will be divided in two. The former group, known as the Handsome and Clever people, will naturally be the dominant group in our society. Meanwhile, the latter group, no doubt the descendants of lesser foreign races and not our own British stock, will atrophy and disappear due to their inferior heredity.”
—Cartoon and excerpt published by British magazine “Punch” in 1890.
The ideas displayed by the cartoon and excerpt above best reflect which of the following belief systems?
Laissez-Faire Capitalism
Civilizing Mission
Malthusianism
Social Darwinism
The physical differences between the individuals in the cartoon are intended to imply that
a physically diversified population will be genetically more successful than non-diverse populations.
groups of people can become either physically superior or inferior over time as a result of heredity.
British racial and ethnic superiority to other races was a result of the ethnic diversity of its population.
physical strength and ability should be the sole determination of political power in a society.
Which of the following statements best explains how the belief system represented by the cartoon above was used in reference to Western imperial practices during the years 1850-1900?
Imperialists believed that the foreign societies they conquered were genetically superior and therefore represented a threat.
Imperialists believed that their genetic and cultural superiority legitimized their conquest of other societies.
Imperialists were hoping to expand the ethnic and genetic diversity of their populations.
Imperialists believed that it was their duty to civilize other societies to make them ready for their own future self government.
“Our prophetic abilities enable us to create the image above, a vision of a predicted future aristocracy that will be divided in two. The former group, known as the Handsome and Clever people, will naturally be the dominant group in our society. Meanwhile, the latter group, no doubt the descendants of lesser foreign races and not our own British stock, will atrophy and disappear due to their inferior heredity.”
—Cartoon and excerpt published by British magazine “Punch” in 1890.
The ideas displayed by the cartoon and excerpt above best reflect which of the following belief systems?
Laissez-Faire Capitalism
Civilizing Mission
Malthusianism
Social Darwinism
The physical differences between the individuals in the cartoon are intended to imply that
a physically diversified population will be genetically more successful than non-diverse populations.
groups of people can become either physically superior or inferior over time as a result of heredity.
British racial and ethnic superiority to other races was a result of the ethnic diversity of its population.
physical strength and ability should be the sole determination of political power in a society.
Which of the following statements best explains how the belief system represented by the cartoon above was used in reference to Western imperial practices during the years 1850-1900?
Imperialists believed that the foreign societies they conquered were genetically superior and therefore represented a threat.
Imperialists believed that their genetic and cultural superiority legitimized their conquest of other societies.
Imperialists were hoping to expand the ethnic and genetic diversity of their populations.
Imperialists believed that it was their duty to civilize other societies to make them ready for their own future self government.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The ideas displayed by the cartoon and excerpt best reflect **Social Darwinism**. Social Darwinism applied the concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to human societies, justifying social hierarchies and imperial conquests based on perceived biological superiority.
The physical differences between the individuals in the cartoon are intended to imply that **groups of people can become either physically superior or inferior over time as a result of heredity.** This reflects the belief in inherent racial characteristics and the idea that certain races are naturally destined to dominate others.
The statement that best explains how the belief system represented by the cartoon was used in reference to Western imperial practices during the years 1850-1900 is that **imperialists believed that their genetic and cultural superiority legitimized their conquest of other societies.** This idea justified colonial expansion and the subjugation of other peoples based on a perceived superiority attributed to their own race and culture.
The physical differences between the individuals in the cartoon are intended to imply that **groups of people can become either physically superior or inferior over time as a result of heredity.** This reflects the belief in inherent racial characteristics and the idea that certain races are naturally destined to dominate others.
The statement that best explains how the belief system represented by the cartoon was used in reference to Western imperial practices during the years 1850-1900 is that **imperialists believed that their genetic and cultural superiority legitimized their conquest of other societies.** This idea justified colonial expansion and the subjugation of other peoples based on a perceived superiority attributed to their own race and culture.