The Transformation of the World: A Global History of the Nineteenth Century
'Civilization' in the normative sense of socially constituted refinement is a universal idea. It is often associated with the idea that civilized people have the task or even the duty to spread their cultural values and their way of life. The idea of civilization was never as powerful as in the 19th century. [...] Cultural monuments like the Luther Bible or the great baroque churches can be understood as instruments of civilization missions."