Ethnocentrism and Social Darwinism

Keep in mind though that not all actions during imperialist times were strictly selfish. A great many people traveled the world with honest intentions of helping other people to lead a "good life" as Europeans saw it. During this time, teachers, doctors, nurses, and missionaries traveled to North America, Africa, and Asia in the hope that they would bring happiness to the Indigenous people of that area.

At that time, most people in Europe thought of themselves as more civilized than people in other parts of the world. This was partly due to the idea that societies outside of Europe were less technically developed, and their cultures, which were not understood by European explorers, appeared to be primitive or less developed. They did not, nor in fact would not, understand that these cultures had fully-functioning political and economic systems, values, languages, and traditions. African and First Nations people were frequently called savages. The word "savages" was not necessarily a derogatory word implying that they were of less worth, but rather a word to describe people who were less advanced. This idea of less advanced people would be the reason why many Europeans felt it was their duty to try to make these savages' lives better by bringing them education and religion.

This belief that one's own culture, values, and concerns are better and more beneficial is a form of ethnocentrism. Eurocentrism, a form of ethnocentrism, was at the very core of European beliefs throughout the Imperial Age. Eurocentrism can also be called "white supremacy", in some its more radical forms. It is the idea (conscious or subconscious) that European society is superior to other cultures. There are still examples of Eurocentric attitudes in the world today. For instance, many world maps still place the European continent in the centre and use terms like "Middle East" and "Far East" to describe areas of the world based upon their location relative to Europe on the map. Some forms of history and social studies still have a perspective based completely on European perceptions. As a result of this Eurocentric bias, many people during the Age of Imperialism looked down upon other cultures as being lesser cultures who needed to be "educated" into a new and better culture, and that culture should be European.

One aspect which had a huge effect on imperialism was his assertion that survival of a species came down to the ability of that species to adapt to its environment. This would eventually led to the belief that, in nature, the strongest members of a species would survive because they were better able to adapt. This part of his theory led to some of the darkest moments in imperialism.