In Le Pere Goriot, Balzac penned un mot juste that accounts quite well for the so-called "rise of the West":
"Le secret des grandes fortunes sans cause apparente est un crime oublié, parce qu'il a été proprement fait."
The crime was colonial appropriation of natural resources and human capital; it has been "forgotten" solely because the criminals have chosen to "forget" it. Moreoever, when criminals write and enforce the laws, they have the luxury of selective amnesia.
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