During Imperialism, which of the great powers didn't have any colonial or oversees possessions?

Answer 1

Depends on what you mean by "colonial" and "great power". Neither the Russian nor the Austro-Hungarian nor the Ottoman empires had overseas possessions, but all had contiguous "colonies". Russia spent most of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries acquiring unwilling additions, failed in 1904, stumbled in 1918, then took the practice up again with a vengeance immediately before and after the Soviet Union's involvement in WWII. Do you consider Sweden a "great power," and did "imperialism" begin after 1720?

Answer 2

The United States