> Venice was a Great Power, with colonies and occupations all over the Mediterranean, vying with states like France and England for supremacy.
The nostalgia of lost glory in Europe is touching. In today's world even France and England aren't major powers, much less Venice. The truth thing is, these cities will never become major powers again. In a world where education is disseminated fairly, the economy of any country will be directly proportional to its population (barring outlier natural resources like in Gulf countries). I would bet my money on a Tier 2 city in India like Surat over has-beens like Venice.
The nostalgia of lost glory in Europe is touching. In today's world even France and England aren't major powers, much less Venice. The truth thing is, these cities will never become major powers again. In a world where education is disseminated fairly, the economy of any country will be directly proportional to its population (barring outlier natural resources like in Gulf countries). I would bet my money on a Tier 2 city in India like Surat over has-beens like Venice.