Final answer:
Social Darwinism was the 19th-century ideology that provided justification for colonialism and resulting income disparities. It facilitated economic exploitation by suggesting that societal competition was natural, which led to a global capitalist system favoring colonizers. This ideology contributed to the enduring economic disparities and neocolonialist practices seen today.
Step-by-step explanation:
Social Darwinism is a 19th century ideology that rationalized both colonialism and extreme disparities in income. This ideology suggested that strong societies would inevitably triumph over weaker ones, and it was used to justify the economic exploitation and subjugation of colonized territories. It presented colonial empires as being a natural outcome of competition among societies, masking the aggressive accumulation of wealth and enforcement of power differences by industrialized nations at the expense of traditional nations.
In essence, Social Darwinism provided a convenient rationale for European and American societies to dominate and exploit other societies without moral accountability, promoting a system of global capitalism that benefited the colonizers through the extraction of raw materials and human labor. This system operated within the framework of mercantilism and later capitalism, ensuring that European economies flourished while many of the colonized territories struggled with poverty and inequality, stemming from both historical and ongoing forms of economic and social domination.
The persistence of these inequities in the aftermath of colonialism is often referred to as neocolonialism, underlying current global trade dynamics where former colonizers maintain control over global markets and continue to influence the economies of their former colonies. The disparity between developed and underdeveloped countries can be traced back to the policies and structures established during colonial times, with the Industrial Revolution amplifying inequality among nations.