Rhodes believed in many ahistorical conspiracy theories to justify his white supremacist views, such as his belief that the the ancient Greeks had built the civilization of Great Zimbabwe, and that white Europeans were 'the first race in the world'. Under the reasoning that 'the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race', he advocated vigorous settler colonialism and ultimately a reformation of the British Empire so that each component would be self-governing and represented in a single parliament in London. He has been the target of much recent criticism, with historians labelling him as a ruthless imperialist and white supremacist, and some activists demanding that his monuments be removed. Elaborating on his white supremacist beliefs, Rhodes stated that 'if the whites maintain their position as the supreme race, the day may come when we shall all be thankful that we have the natives in their proper place.'