Social Darwinism in Unionist theory and practice: The German connection

In this thesis, the role Social Darwinism played in the Unionist theory and practice, and the influence Germany had in spreading this theory among the Unionist intellectuals and politicians. The purpose of this study is to explain how and to what extent this theory affected the Unionist ideology and delve into the roots of Social Darwinism's journey in the Ottoman Empire. Social Darwinism affected especially the Unionist Turkists during the final decade of the Empire, and throughout this thesis, it is discussed through three main questions. The first question is why Social Darwinism became so popular in the Unionist ideology. To answer this question, I examined their backgrounds, and find out that the western education they received, and their militarist identities played a great role in this regard. I also argue that the political environment of their age popularized Social Darwinism. Additionally, it is argued the intellectual atmosphere of the Empire helped this theory to be popularized. The second question debated is through which channels the Unionists acquired Social Darwinist theory. In this thesis, I focus on the German channel, mainly Büchner, Haeckel, and von der Goltz. Lastly, the question of how the Unionists reconciled with Social Darwinism's negative attitude towards the Turks is debated. In this regard, I divided the Unionist counterarguments in three categories. Firstly, I claim that Japan's victory over Russia presented a great argument for the Unionists. Secondly, it is argued that they tried to prove Turks' civilized nature through Turcology works, and lastly, they argued that the West is the uncivilized and barbaric ones.