By the end of the 19th century, much of the world had been colonized or settled in some way by Western Europe. The European powers were torn apart by their own wars, however, during the first half of the 20th century. With their colonial occupiers weakened, people in Africa and Asia began to push back against imperialism. The result was a widespread and successful movement for freedom and independence. Political independence is not always followed immediately by economic independence, though. Many former colonies struggled to set up societies that were fair and just and also provided the tools and infrastructure to ensure individual economic success. What role did (does) colonialism play in preventing the success of former colonies