[distances]

> Ethiopia is actually often mentioned as the only country in Africa that wasn't colonised

> Finland was never a colonial power, by the way.

That was the whole sarcastically made point of the grandparent comment. Rich non-colonizing states vs. poor non-colonized states.

[mcv]

You're probably right, but the grandparent wasn't entirely correct. Sweden has had colonies in both Africa and the Caribbean, and Ethiopia has been colonised, although both for only a fairly short period.

Colonisation obviously does play a role. It's ridiculous to claim that pillaging or oppressing another country doesn't hurt it, nor enrich the country that takes the profits. But it's not remotely the only factor at play. And the further in the past some events are, the more they get overshadowed by more recent history. I don't think Italy has much remaining benefit from the slaves the Roman Empire took from the Kelts they conquered.