Editing Christianization (section)

=== French Canada, North America, West Africa, Indochina and the West Indies ===
In the seventeenth century, the [[French colonial empire|French]] used [[Cultural assimilation|assimilation]] as a means of establishing colonies controlled by the nation-state rather than private companies.{{sfn|Belmessous|2013|p=6}} Referred to as the "[[Civilizing mission|Civilizing Mission]]", the goal was a political and religious community representative of an ideal society as articulated through the [[Progressivism|progressive theory of history]]. This common theory of the time asserts that history shows the normal progression of society is toward constant betterment; that humans could therefore eventually be perfected; that primitive nations could be forced to become modern states wherein that would happen.{{sfn|Belmessous|2013|pp=2–5}}{{sfn|Priestley|2018|p=192}}{{sfn|Burrows|1986|p=abstract}} The French advocated multiple aspects of European culture such as "[[civility]], [[social organization]], [[law]], [[economic development]], [[Marital status|civil status]]", as well as European dress, bodily description, religion, and more, excluding and replacing local culture as the means to this end.{{sfn|Belmessous|2013|pp=1–2}} Dutch historian [[Henk Wesseling]] describes this as "... turning the coloured peoples – by means of education – into coloured Frenchmen".{{sfn|Wesseling|2015|p=201}}