European Imperialism Dbq

Since the 15th century, Europeans have been exploring the world, colonizing new lands, and interacting with the people of these new lands. These interactions were caused mostly by the economic motivations of Europeans, as these places often provided Europe with valuable goods. Throughout this period of interaction, European views of foreigners changed from those of respect and tolerance in the late 18th century to those of complete superiority and dominance in the early 20th century. This change was brought on by the shift from the romantic beliefs in individualism and civil rights to the imperialist beliefs in nationalism and social darwinism. In the 1760s, the enlightenment brought the romantic movement into full force, promoting the expression …show more content…
In document 4 Jules Ferry begun his speech with the belief that the French were a superior race. He made this speech aiming to compete with other nations for african territory. Many leaders of the time believed in social darwinism, believing their nations could be destroyed without expansion. Ministers such as Ferry commonly used the idea that their country, France in the case of Ferry, was superior, and must spread its culture. Ferry used the idea of superiority to cover his fear in the destruction of France in the hypercompetitive environment of Europe. This belief in social darwinism was further pushed by non government officials, such as Schallmayer, the German physician. In Document 6 he states that the European race was superior multiple times. He was a member of the general population, meaning that there was little for him to gain from colonization. He had only the little information the government gave him, and therefore must have genuinely believed that this colonization was to promote the superior part of the human race, just as Kipling had believed when he wrote “The White Man’s