Imagining an Alternative World: What if Hitler Had Won World War II??

What if Hitler had Won World War 2?

This is one of history's biggest 'what ifs.' If Germany had not made two major mistakes—invading the Soviet Union and declaring war on the USA—we might be living in a world where the Nazis won. The citizens of the Soviet Union suffered the most for the Allied victory. Their determination and resistance were crucial. Without them, we might be speaking German and eating bratwurst today. To explore this scenario, we need to consider several factors. We would have to reverse engineer a situation that gives Hitler and Germany a better chance of winning the war.

For Hitler to declare victory, he needed to gain significantly more land. The chance of Great Britain and the United States giving up their territory is very low. However, a cease-fire might have allowed Germany temporary control over some allied nations. Hitler feared the United States joining the allies. They had vast resources and were far away. Capturing land across the oceans would have been difficult.

The USA would have faced a tough choice. It would need to become passive in the conflict. This would allow Germany to dominate Europe. The USA would need to see economic sense in dealing with a German-led Europe. Instead of working with individual countries, it would have to deal with Germany directly. Germany would keep conquered countries like France and Poland. Italy would stay allied with Germany. Spain and Portugal would align themselves with Germany too. Switzerland would continue to maintain its neutrality.

For Germany to have won World War II, they would have needed to abandon their ambitions to conquer the Soviet Union. Stalin was not likely to remain passive. A peace deal would have had to be reached between the Soviets and Germany for Hitler to achieve victory. Germany would also have to give up its plans regarding Japan. Since Japan was far away, there would be little reason to pursue the East after taking most of Europe. This would require major world powers to allow Germany to pursue its ambitions. Such non-interference would be morally problematic, given the Nazi regime's efforts to exterminate entire groups of people. This included Jews and other so-called undesirables, such as gay individuals, the mentally ill, and the Romani.

If Germany had won World War II, the world would be very different today. Inside the Greater German Reich, many people would have been eliminated. In 1962, American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick explored this idea. He wrote one of the first alternate history novels. In his book, Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan triumphed in the war. The world is divided into blocks governed by these powers.

The Empire of Japan encompasses all of Greater East Asia. The United States is split into two parts. The Japanese puppet state is called the Pacific States of America. The Rocky Mountain States serve as a Nazi puppet state. Canada remains free from occupation. It is part of the British Empire and has been at war with the Nazis since the beginning. The USA gained nuclear capability by 1945. This made Nazi Germany anxious to develop its own weapons of mass destruction.

Nazism could have been recognized as evil by its own people. They might have overthrown it from within. However, we will never know how the world would have turned out. There are too many variables to consider. It is likely that any victory would have been short-lived. The Allies would have likely decided to remove Hitler from power completely.

What if Hitler and Germany had won the Second World War? It's a thought-provoking question. Many scenarios could emerge from this outcome. The world might look very different today. The consequences would be significant. Share your thoughts in the comments!