Many European countries got rich without colonization (e.g the Baltic States before WW2, or Austria-Hungary). Moreover, economic studies show that the profitab

Many European countries got rich without colonization (e.g the Baltic States before WW2, or Austria-Hungary). Moreover, economic studies show that the profitability was discutable - in the case of France it was a net loss due to the massive infrastructure costs and the subsidies for non-competitive industries. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3769485 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3769485