Essay Asasignment: Empires, Revolutions, Wars
Instructions: Write a 5 to 6 page essay on the following:
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the development of science and social science led thinkers such as Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer to challenge religious concepts of human evolution and development. Proponents of eugenics and Social Darwinism expanded upon their work but frequently, the application of these ideas had decidedly pernicious effects. Discuss, focusing on the second (bolded) sentence and looking at the period between 1870 and 1945. Make use of your text, the relevant documents in Lualdi and any insights gleaned from your reading of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz.
In writing your paper be sure to have an argument: that is, a particular point of view or thesis and be sure to support your argument with evidence drawn from the primary sources.