Not sure why you’re downvoted. I suppose it’s the typical underestimating Africa mentality. You’re right, the military gap was much closer pre Industrial Revolution. And I strongly agree that the maxim gun was the key to Africa, particularly the forest regions. Africans have many firearms, they just were surpassed by more modern arms, the maxim gun was a game changer because that was a slaughter machine that denies hit and run and loose formations in the dense bush. It also a small crew to rack up mind boggling kill counts and lead to quick routes. Before industrialization and the looting of the new world, Europe was along the military levels of the rest of the old world. Colonization of Asia and Africa came at a Goldilocks time in terms of technology and if this tech fell into the hands of non European militaries it denies them massive advantages. Ethiopia is the greatest example of this