The notion of 'Progress' that took root in Europe and America around 1800...implies that there is an absolute standard by which to judge other cultures...( if the West was headed toward some supreme climax or standard, then everyone else needed to get there too)
'Progress' helped colonialism and imperialism take over the planet.

An opposite idea- 'relativism'... has (had) inherent weaknesses... (Christendom was linear, while the tribal peoples of the world were cyclical in their myths and attitudes toward the cosmos)
The rise of NW central Europe over the peoples of the earth- like the discovery of America- was inevitable.

(It's very unfortunate that Western Civilization wasn't civilized enough to spare the natives).