How was Social Darwinism used to justify imperialism?

Social Darwinism was used to justify imperialism. The main idea behind Social Darwinism is that the strongest and fittest survive. Those who supported imperialism believed that the places that were being colonized weren’t as fit or as a strong as the imperial country was.

This concept of Social Darwinism is based on the concept of a superior culture and inferior cultures. The imperialists believed their culture, their way of life, their government, and their economic system were the best. Therefore, they had an obligation to spread their superior ways of living to other people who weren’t as good as they were. They had an obligation to show these people how to run a government, how to develop an economy, and how to “properly” live life. They believed these people, whom they deemed as inferior, would benefit by being under the control of a superior group of people. Some people view this concept of imperialism as a racist view because it puts down other people’s ways of living. Social Darwinist ideas were used to justify imperialism.