Postwar French officials newly framed power sharing as part of the civilizing mission

Evidence

Merlin’s postwar reinterpretation of France’s civilizing mission in West Africa included a number of new elements, each of which coincided with a certain aspect of the policy of association. In his 1921 letter to the minister discussing Diagne, which was quoted above, Merlin had maintained that “carefully considered democratic measures” would further the “cause of civilization” better than hasty ones. The juxtaposition of “democratic measures” and “civilization” suggests that in the postwar period, power sharing had suddenly become a theme of France’s mission in West Africa. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 679