Marx’s pro-colonial remarks were of a piece with pro-capitalist progressivism.

Evidence

In context, any attempt to portray Marx as an enthusiast of colonialism would logically have to portray him as an admirer of capitalism as well, which is what he wanted Germany to achieve, as quickly as possible. This idea of a colonial society giving rise to brisk capitalist development was also connected, in Marx’s mind, with the North American experience. — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 981

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Marx saw colonialism as freeing non-Western societies from confining arrangements — David Theo Goldberg, The Racial State, 32; Marx presupposed a coherent racist and imperial ordering of world capitalism; Colonial labor coercion was rhetorically rebranded as progress rather than slavery

Broader Connections

• Marx saw colonialism as freeing non-Western societies from confining arrangements #corroborates (0.90) — David Theo Goldberg, The Racial State, 32
• Marx presupposed a coherent racist and imperial ordering of world capitalism #expands (0.85)
• Colonial labor coercion was rhetorically rebranded as progress rather than slavery #complicates (0.80)