Republican France distinguished conquest in Europe from ‘civilizing’ missions among non-Europeans.

Evidence

In the latter case, the Revolution saw its mission largely as one of liberationi in Egypt, however, in keeping with the general trends of the Enlightenment regarding non-Europeans, the mission was defined-in Napoleon’s own words-as one of emancipation and “civilization.” This idea was manifest in Napoleon’s decision to set off from France not only with troops, but with all the scientific and cultural apparatus for which the expedition is deservedly famous-an apparatus that the French had not deemed necessary for any European state they had conquered. … One purpose of the Institut was to lend its varied expertise to the conquerors, so that the French might effectively subdue the local populations and successfully exploit the land. Engineers, Islamicists, printers, natural scientists, artists, mathematicians, and astronomers were all to study conditions in Egypt, then place their knowledge at the service of the invading generals. These experts were also to bring the accumulated knowledge and skills of the West to the peoples of Egypt, while enriching that knowledge with information about the region and its celebrated past that had been lost since its descent into despotism and barbarism. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 72

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Directly relevant to the reader’s puzzle of republican ideals forcing a ‘civilizing’ project onto West Africa — this establishes the earlier Egyptian template for that civilizing ideology.
• DEFINE: Clarifies what the French meant by a ‘civilizing’ vs a liberating mission — the operative distinction between European and non-European conquest.