Mmm. The Western-
chauvinism of certain scientists in the past is pretty undeniable. That said, the Chinese government was planning at one point to
alphabetize Mandarin in order to improve Chinese
literacy. (As much as I dislike any
totalitarian government, China has done a lot to try and improve the life of the common Chinese citizen.)
Simplified characters were a step towards this goal. I imagine a few more important things (
Great Leap Forward,
Cultural Revolution) interrupted the plan, and it was obviously dropped.
There's also a certain connection between high literacy and democracy. Thomas Paine's very effective tracts against the King of England is one example of widespread literacy having a political effect.