After reading the previous couple of pages on the issue of "Just exactly which country won WWII," I have concluded that you fellows are playing the "what if game" combined with selective examples of history that support your own arguments.
The issue of world politics is very much more complicated than you present in your arguments. Any one nation alone could not win nor wage WWII. Even “W” had to get a “coalition of the willing” for his now failed public relations campaign. Germany had many more countries on its side than just Japan or Italy. Most of the Middle East supported them and most of the people in the British, French, Dutch and American empires who wanted independence hoped for a German victory. Most of the countries in South America could have been the fourth in the Axis alliance if not for direct US pressure and threats.
Britain had war plans in place after WWI. Those plans were for a war with the US. The treaty of Washington was Britains attempt to reduce the battleship threat from the US incase the war plans became reality. Britain had more but older and less effective battleships. The US was on a shipbuilding binge and the Treaty of Washington leveled the playing field for Britain. It also was one of the many factors that lead Japan to war. Japan walked out on the treaty discussions when they were not treated on equal standing with the US and Britain. This treaty is one of the most significant events in modern world history. At that time in history, a nation was not defined by the size or quality of her army, but her national pride and world presence was established by the number of battleships she had.
World trade at that time was very much different than it is today. Smaller amounts of raw materials made much more significant impacts. The loss of oil by the US embargo on Japan; the loss of US iron ore and scrap metal to Japan’s economy were also important. Russia was close to winning by itself, only if there was a second front. It can only be assumed that if the German army were able to confront the Russians with all of its resources, they would have been merciless in their efforts and Russia may not have survived. What if Hitler had not declared war on the US?
The US had its own self-interest to be concerned with. The British today are thought of as kissing cousins, not so earlier in our history. Their increasingly growing British Empire at the turn of the century was a threat to US trade. Britain and the US are still trade advisories and will probably be far into the future. Capitalism seems to work that way.
Countries like individuals act in their own self-interest. It took a considerable number of the world’s nations to wage WWII and it took truly unique partnership to end it. But did it really end or was it an extension of the First World War and do we still fight a continuation of both wars? I believe we do and we will for a considerable amount of time.
IMO, who won WWII nobody yet everybody.
