What was the theory of Social Darwinism used to justify?

Social Darwinism (the belief that social order was created by the same laws that govern natural selection) was used to justify racism and imperialism (also possibly slavery) in the 19th and early 20th century. read more

First, Social Darwinism is an ideology rather than a theory. It is a bastardization of Darwin's theories related to natural selection. It was used to justify imperialism and eugenics (including genocide), among other things. read more

Social Darwinism became a 20th century umbrella term for notions of social control that used Darwin’s 19th century science to justify expansions which that science found baseless. The term encompasses horrific social strands which define political and religious paradoxes from which our time emerged. read more