This viewpoint was the justification for global colonization, the enslavement of numerous groups of indigenous people, and the massive enforcement of certain religions (such as Christianity) on different peoples throughout the world. There are a couple of interesting facts in denoting the contemporary view of this subject among the Western world. The U.S. was the only country surveyed in which more people still adhered to the belief that their culture was better than that of other civilizations and countries. All of the European countries have apparently abandoned this notion, or at the very least have more people who disbelieve the fact that they are culturally superior to others than those who do. Germany is nearly evenly divided on this subject (No author, 2011).
The category in which the U.S.'s views on autonomy are most prevalent is that in which compares the values of individualism vs. The importance of a state government. The U.S. is the only country surveyed in which more people preferred the liberty to live freely vs. conforming to state regulations. The vast majority of Western Europe has more citizens who believe the opposite point-of-view, that state regulation supersedes that of individual freedom. This difference between Europe and the U.S. is not surprising, considering the fact that individualism has always characterized the U.S. when compared to its European counterparts.
What is surprising for a country that values political independence is how reserved it is terms of personal...
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