That's possible... I have to admit to me it's still an open question since I don't have a detailed enough understanding of the history involved... I haven't read Guns Germs and Steel but what you're describing sounds similar to what I understand is proposed in that book. I know there are also people who criticize his theory but like I said I'm not that well versed in the specifics.
It seems like any way you slice it though you still have to admit that industrialization is what actually allows for our modern lifestyle. Maybe European colonialism predates and helped create the conditions for Europe specifically to lead the way in industrialization, but domination alone never would've produced this kind of wealth. The industrial revolution started in the 1700s. Yes Europe was rich then... Compared to other places at the time. But nowhere near the kind of wealth that defines our modern lifestyle.
We were talking about how even the homeless in this country can find food. That certainly wasn't as true in the 1700s and it still isn't true in most of the world today. Or how infant mortality dropped drastically. Or how electricity, running water, properly constructed shelter, transportation, and even communications devices like cell phones are pretty much taken for granted in the first world. All of that is very recent. Not at all the normal conditions humans have historically lived under. And not at all possible without said innovations in science, engineering and the industrialized production of goods.
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