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Reading The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi and in the introduction he cites a letter written by Theodor Herzl (considered the founder of the modern Zionist movement) to one of Khalidi's ancestors:

[Glossing over the fact that Zionism was ultimately meant to lead to Jewish domination of Palestine, Herzl employed a justification that has been a touchstone for colonialists at all times and in all places and that would become a staple argument of the Zionist movement: Jewish immigration would benefit the indigenous people of Palestine... "In allowing immigration to a number of Jews bringing their intelligence, their financial acumen and their means of enterprise to the country, no one can doubt that the well-being of the entire country would be the happy result."]

Beyond colonialism, this reasoning was also applied as a rationalization for chattel slavery. John C. Calhoun (the 7th US vice president) said: "Never before has the black race of Central Africa, from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually."