Reflecting on Social Darwinism at the Hundredth Anniversary of World War I

This month is the one-hundredth anniversary of the beginning of World War I. Historians delving into the origins of the war will undoubtedly -- and correctly -- note the importance of the alliance structures, the buildup of armaments, Germany's fear of encirclement, and the ill-fated German military plan that left Germany few viable military options once it faced a two-front war.

Some historians mention the influence of social Darwinism on the European elites and decision-makers, but this is...