The Fall of European Countries

I look at these European countries experiencing financial crisis, high unemployment, high cost of living, continuous protests, etc.,etc., etc. and all I can say is, Wow! These century old countries such as England were always considered the "developed, first world" countries. Many of these countries made a fortune off slavery by occupying Caribbean islands and forcing the natives to undergo hardships and a cruel life while the "mother land" got rich. Yet today, many of these islands and its natives are thriving in every aspects as the countries celebrate 50years (more or less for some islands) of independence from these so called developed countries. So, many former colonies are doing much better than their "mother lands". How times have changed!!