mbewane
Knicks: 93 til infinity
Isn't imperialism and colonialism liberal concept? "We know better than you so we have to civilize you?" As opposed to a more conservative. " we just don't want you here?"
This is very shortsighted. Colonialism was partly based on the idea that liberalism was universal and that 'uncivilized people' needed to be 'freed' in the name of liberalism.
The biggest pusher of french colonialism, Jules Ferry, was a liberal. The idea that liberal ideas from the european Enlightment needed to be spread around the world, even thru guns and bullets, is one the pillars of colonialism.
Absolutely. It's the whole french-style "Enlightment" and "Universalism" that basically said that French/European values were better than those of the rest of the world, and thus that they had a "moral obligation" (lmao) to spread it, with or without the local populations' consent. Actually one can see similarities with Christianism (and both went hand in hand, despite the Enlightment and Universalism supposedly being secular). And with the spread of "democracy" and "values" now. Back then most people against colonialism were more on the right-side of the political spectrum. Some due to actual respect for other cultures, most just on some "do whatever you want over there, we don't care either way as long as you don't mess with us".