Portugal during it's prime was a pretty big empire, it controlled all of modern day Brazil, but what was most interesting is that it had so many trading posts and this made the country rich. However Portugal, if it had been more assertive it would've been a superpower and would rival the British Empire at it's height. Portugal had a long desire to push into Africa and it failed, but what if it did?
Morocco was a rival of Portugal and always fought each other over the city of Tangiers, so let's say Portugal defeats Morocco, this would give the Portuguese a major victory and would instill imperialism inside the country, and then they would colonize Africa and the Americas.
That is one way they could've became a great power, but there was a slim chance it actually could've in our world. During it's height Portugal did have lots of trading post and did make an empire out of itself, however it always second guessed itself and this led to it not gaining any land (except for the lands given to it via Great Britain in the 1900's. Portugal wanted to push deeper into Africa as it had small colonies along the coast, little did they know, there was gold and if they had pushed into Africa, they would have dominated any opponent that stood in their way, there was gold and diamonds and it would've boosted Portugal's economy. Had Portugal Followed that Route, Portugal would be more of a superpower because of the lands it had gained in Africa, the Middle East and India and this would make Portugal a more extensive empire, one that would be feared. No one knows for certain what Portugal would've grown to become, sadly that is the curiosity of alternate history and will forever be.
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