European Identity In The Twentieth Century

Throughout Europe in the 1880’s through the mid twentieth century there were a few different collective identities that had an effect on the European’s. A collective identity is a group that has a shared definition that derives from its member’s common interests, experiences and solidarities. A few examples of these identities were: African’s in the Congo, nobles, bourgeoisies, proletarians and the Jews. All of these different identities had a mixed effect on the European’s in the 1880’s through the mid twentieth century depending on their individual rights, their state of formation, their extension of social classes and how Social Darwinist thinking impacted the relations between these various collectives. Therefore, because of these things, …show more content…
Social Darwinism is individuals, groups and people are subject to the Darwinian laws of natural selection just as plant and animals. It was made by Hebert Spencer in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, and was used to justify imperialism and racism while also discouraging intervention and reform . The novel Heart of Darkness explains that Europeans believed they were above Africans because of the social Darwinist thinking. They were more civilized and smarter due to natural selection so it was there job to help and show the African’s how they are supposed to live, making imperialism seem okay to them. In other words, Europeans used social Darwinist thinking to justify imperialism and the cruelty on the Africans, which benefited the Europeans because then they didn’t see it as wrong they thought of it as helping them . Another example of this came out of Candide, where the nobility was born on a higher social status. Through natural selection at birth they were chosen to be a part of a nobility family which gave them special privileges and powers. It needed up causing more harm than good for the Europeans because they turned out not to be very special and no help at all to their communities . Lastly, the Nazi’s showed Darwinist thoughts by believing that Germans and Aryans were above all others, and that they were the most elite race on the earth. They thought of all others as less, and the Darwinist thinking gave them good enough evidence to make that justification and use it as propaganda to sell their beliefs. social Darwinist thoughts also gave them an easier way to justify racism against other races and made them feel like they had justification when they killed millions of people in their hope to purify Europe . Social Darwinist thoughts on collective identities in Europe had a negative effect