Were there any positives to European Colonialism?

European imperialism created the modern world

Question: Were there any positives to European Colonialism?
Position1 of 2›: Yes, there are positives to European colonialism
Argument‹2 of 2: European imperialism created the modern world

Empires were vital in spreading global norms which allow for our modern economy and way of life.

The argument

The historian Niall Fergusson argues that European, and particularly British, Colonialism has created the modern world in which we live. In his numerous books and TV programmes Fergusson details how the British Empire spread Protestant Christianity, capitalism, "Western norms of law, order, and government," and the English language. Almost the entire world has embraced democracy and free trade, both ideas spread by European colonial regimes. English has become a global lingua Franca. Imperialism, Fergusson argues, was a vital step in both allowing these ideas to flourish and ending more coercive forms of labour like the slave trade. Imperialism was the midwife to the birth of the modern world.

Premises

[P1]The historian Niall Ferguson argues that European, and especially British, colonialism spread capitalism, Western norms of law and government, and the English language across the world. [P2] Ideas now embraced almost everywhere — democracy, free trade and English as a lingua franca — were disseminated by colonial regimes. [P3] Imperialism was, on this view, a vital step in allowing these ideas to flourish and in ending more coercive systems such as the slave trade. [C] Therefore, there were positives to European colonialism, which helped create the modern world.

Counter-arguments

This argument really depends on how one sees the modern world, and whether its position is positive or negative. It is also very Eurocentric. Global trade was not a European invention.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] These are not universal values.