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Was William Gladstone Ethical?

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Was William Gladstone Ethical?
The 19th century consisted of mass politics and imperial domination throughout all of Europe. Many countries were concerned about withholding their status among European countries and many rulers realized expansion was one way to maintain their power. Ninety percent of Africa was controlled by natives in 1879. This quickly took a turn for what is known as the “scramble for Africa.” By the early 1900’s, Europeans controlled almost all of the entire continent of Africa. The concept of purposefully claiming land from natives caused quarrels among leaders – Is it ethical? William Gladstone, a four-term prime minister of Great Britain from the 1860’s to mid-1890’s, was a liberal party leader who was anti-liberalism − no expansion. He presented …show more content…
The prime minister describes that surrounding countries are “rising up around us” such as Great Britain and Germans. He promoted the development for new defenses and supply centers. In this time period, there is a fear of what country is going to advance and which ones are not going to advance.
Social Darwinism was a common theory that societies with structures thrive and all societies will evolve. Northern Europe was considered top of the food chain or superior to most of the world. Gladstone believes they should not use and abuse their power against other less civilized territories. Meanwhile, Ferry mentions that they should use their dominance to help lead, guide, and direct other natives to their own independence. In 19th century Europe, colonial expansion was a common theme. Many believed the only way left to gain power as a country was to gain land and all of Europe was already occupied. I understand the ethical ideas William Gladstone presented as prime minister however it wasn’t logical to believe that Great Britain could remain at the top of the “food chain” without expansion. Britain eventually does colonize in other countries such as Egypt, South Africa, China, India, and the Americas. The fact that the British did end up expanding proves that imperialism was important to help a country thrive and grow. Ferry presented strong reasons as to why imperialism is important and was able to keep France as a front runner amongst other fast growing European countries during the late 19th and early 20th

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