Social Darwinism in European and American thought, 1860-1945 : nature as model and nature as threat
This wide-ranging study focuses upon the controversies surrounding the meaning and significance of Social Darwinism. Exploring several debates and movements of the period 1860-1945, including eugenics, the position of women, and Nazism/Fascism, Dr Hawkins guides the reader through a difficult and complex subject.
History
x, 344 pages ; 24 cm
9780521574006, 9780521574341, 0521574005, 052157434X
34705047
Acknowledgements; Part I. Defining Social Darwinism: Introduction: the identity of Social Darwinism; 1. Defining Social Darwinism; 2. The distinctiveness of Social Darwinism; Part II. Pioneers: 3. The emergence of Social Darwinism; 4. Herbert Spencer and cosmic evolution; 5. Social Darwinism in the USA; 6. Social Darwinism in France and Germany; Part III. Case Studies: 7. Reform Darwinism; 8. Races, nations and the struggle for existence; 9. The eugenic conscience; 10. Social Darwinism, nature and sexual difference; 11. Nazism, Fascism and Social Darwinism; Postscript: Social Darwinism old and new: the case of sociobiology; Bibliography.