In the late 1800s, Western nations generally believed the peoples of Africa and Asia

Were beneath them ... jk. well, i guess many of them thought that way and tried to exploit them. it's really messed up. since the African and Asian peoples at that time had (and still have) a very different view of the world than we do, different values, religions, etc., the western nations (well at least some) thought that it was their duty to make those people "civilized" and expose them to western beliefs, Christianity and all that good stuff.