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Don’t forget Britain too. They’re not as poor as Spain and Portugal by a long shot but because they had colonies, their manufacturing didn’t need to be competitive, and when the Germans developed industry, the British couldn’t compete. Still can’t.
That’s not to excuse colonial behaviours but to say that Europe is strong because of it is a misstatement.
Colonies filled some pockets but for the states, most of the time they were a money drain. Especially when effective colonization (as in taking control of vast territories and "civilize" the people) took place. The real profitable moments were mostly due to trade/piracy, and not territorial control, which is very expensive.
You're talking as if the pillaging was limited to the 1500s. What about the outsourcing of labor and waste and the privileged access to materials and goods we continue to enjoy, which make our lives so damn cushy? Also lest we forget the US was a European colony, built on violently stolen land. I'd say that was pretty damn profitable until it went perhaps now fully haywire. Something about boomerang effects.
The US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico etc all former European colonies but all independent for long enough to be responsible for their own actions.
What we do tend to forget are the non-European colonization. Arabs have a general free pass a colonizing, from Western Sahara to Curdistan. Turks also. Russian, Chinese.. same. Colonization was not a European invention nor exclusive.
Pointing fingers at others doesn't really make for a solid defense, to me. I'm just really tired of the European superiority complex, and refusal to take responsibility for its messes. Just think it should be thought about more honestly, and acted on, if we want to be the good example for the rest of the world as people here are saying we should.. You might have noticed how other countries forever have our hypocrisy to point at when they do their authoritarian crap. Anyway, trumpeting our awesomeness to me seems deeply insulting to the backs on whom our wealth has been and is built.
I think you're the one with a superiority complex and an eurocentrism view, as you seem to believe that European colonization is somehow exceptional and that Europe is the sole responsible and willing participant in the capitalist system that runs the world today. I really have nothing else to discuss if that really is your belief.