Final answer:
Arthur de Gobineau believed that the Caucasian race was responsible for the development of world civilizations. This view was part of 19th-century Eurocentric and social Darwinist ideologies, used to justify colonialism and racism.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the racist theories of Arthur de Gobineau, it was the Caucasian race that was responsible for the development of major civilizations found throughout the world. This ethnocentric viewpoint was part of a broader Eurocentric ideology that saw European culture as superior and credited it with bringing civilization to other parts of the world. Such thinking was influenced by social Darwinism in the 19th century, as well as by the cultural and biological evolutionary theories proposed by figures like Edward Tylor and Louis Agassiz. These ideas were used to justify colonial expansion and overtly racist policies towards non-European peoples.