Why is there such a rich history of now-wealthy countries colonizing the Global South? Could their enterprising nature not provide for themselves without steali

Why is there such a rich history of now-wealthy countries colonizing the Global South? Could their enterprising nature not provide for themselves without stealing? That low-effort Forbes article just talks about correlation. With some groundbreaking speculation thrown in. > If I saw a six-month Swedish winter coming around the corner, I'd probably be pretty quick to get my act together and start laying in supplies