Standard of civilisation

The standard of civilisation was a principle of international law during the European colonial period that set the criterion for a region to be fully recognised and respected as sovereign. The standard of civilisation was used by European powers following the Age of Discovery when they traded with, exploited and colonised the lands outside Europe. Countries which had non-European civilisations would be considered semi-civilised while primitive areas would be considered uncivilised. The laws of such areas would not be respected and their people, property and territory might be seized, conquered or colonised. International lawyers often used the principle to justify the rights of European colonial empires to colonise and control non-European societies.