Huxley, a supporter of the theory of “natural selection”. War of the Worlds also makes references to the burgeoning progress of science in the Victorian era. The reflection of European imperialism through the Martians also alludes to the concept of Social Darwinism. The British empire’s callous treatment of the people of Africa, on this basis of racial preeminence, bears a striking resemblance to the manner in which the technologically superior Martians invade and enslave mankind. This led to a color-coded classification of race that placed whites on top of the food chain and justified the dismantling of Africa with no regard for its people or its pre-existing cultures.
The rationalization of this impersonal treatment of Africa and it’s people was based on a pseudo-scientific theory that all European peoples originated from one white race. This conference marked the height of Britain’s imperial power as the nations of Africa were stripped of their identity, rights, and autonomy. The Berlin Conference was used to calculate the distribution of European power in Africa. The novel was preceded by the Berlin conference of 1884. In the late 19th c, Britain was at the height of imperial forces.
Wells narrative incorporated his attitudes on various components of English society during this half of the century including new discoveries in evolution, progress of scientific exploration, British imperialism, anxieties of reverse colonization, and the moral ideology that governed Victorian England. Wells’ The War of the Worlds was published in 1897.
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