Show us an empire that gained wealth and power without the crucial role of the government being central to its success?

SILENCE.

Governments are crucial to the wealth of nations and always have been.

Neoliberals as in the Bush era and the Thatcher era- right through until at least the GFC 2008 when the shit finally hit the fan - the neoliberal 'intellectuals' and influencers (actually bankers and other corporate lobbyist - rentseekers) who espoused the idea of free markets will fix it and that the government will just make a mess. Your desperate desire to cancel the use of this word appears to stem from the fact that your Libertarian nonsense has already been applied- by Neoliberal Boomers, and proven to fail!