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And if that wasn’t enough, by 1948 both the US and the USSR had a massive arsenal of atomic bombs. Surely enough to make Axis powers surrender.
Sources: (HistoryNet) (ViaTravelers) (Medium)
See also: Lesser-known facts about World War II
The Red Army dominated the Eastern Front and contained the spread of the Axis powers. They were right on the Nazis’ doorstep and pressed hard on them. Hitler had a powerful and huge transcontinental country fighting against him.
To begin with, the British had one of the greatest and largest armies in the world (let’s not forget all the nations of the British Empire and the Commonwealth). They had multiple strategic bases spread across the world, and were armed with a massive supply of heavy artillery.
Geographically speaking, the US was also lucky to be away from all the action in Europe, so they could keep on manufacturing and supplying Allies with weapons, tanks, aircraft, ships—you name it.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the US got involved in the war. Unfortunately for Hitler, the Americans were strong, and they had lots of resources.
And in the event that the Axis powers miraculously declared victory, it would only last until the US deployed their Convair B-36 “Peacemaker,” the first intercontinental bomber, which could easily strike Berlin.
The hypothetical Axis victory has been the subject of many books, namely the 1962 novel ‘The Man in the High Castle’ (which was adapted into a TV show in 2015, pictured), ‘SS-GB’ (1978), and ‘Fatherland’ (1992).
Now it’s time for a (much welcomed) reality check. The truth is that it would have been very unlikely that Axis powers would have won the war. Now, let’s find out why.
The regime invested heavily in technology and science. We would likely see advances on numerous fronts, including mechanics and aeronautics. In fact, many Nazi scientists ended up working for the US government after the war.
Not only has the topic been approached by literary works, but it has also been explored in other mediums, including film, TV, comics, and video games.
Those who were physically and mentally disabled would also likely be killed off (pictured is a poster of the T-4 Euthanasia Program). As would any person who was not heterosexual, or anyone opposing the regime.
While the world would be a much worse place if the Axis powers had won WWII, arguably some positive things would inevitably occur.
Untermensch, the term used by the Nazis to refer to non-Aryan inferior peoples, would suffer the most. There would likely be an ethnic cleansing of the world's Jews, Roma, and Slavs, to name a few. The Holocaust would be even worse.
A racial cleansing would occur, with millions facing discrimination, slavery, and death. Southern European citizens and others with a darker skin complexion and shorter stature that didn’t meet Aryan standards,would be deemed inferior, and therefore discriminated against.
Hitler saw Imperial Japan as a strategic ally, but no more than that. The Nazis considered the Japanese to be “Honorary Aryans,” but this was more of a political propaganda move.
The alliance would likely come to an end once all the heavy lifting had been done, particularly with China and the US. The circumstantial alliance would likely have come to an end, as the Japanese were still considered an inferior race in the eyes of the Nazis.
The world would likely be deprived of religion. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party were known for their hostility towards religion. Religion would likely have no place in the Third Reich.
While many Eastern nations would be more easily dominated, Imperial Japan would have to work hard to invade China.
Switzerland would also be annexed by the Reich, as would France, Great Britain, and Ireland.
Benito Mussolini would have likely expanded the Kingdom of Italy to cover a great part of the southern European territory that once belonged to the Roman Empire. Spain and Portugal would likely become satellite states, under Italy’s control.
Following the victory, the Nazis would proceed with the annexation of the countries they deemed Aryan enough. Nordic countries such as Norway (pictured), Denmark, Sweden, and Finland would become part of the empire.
The Nazis would reclaim their former colonies in Africa and seize the nations that were under the control of defeated European countries.
Axis powers would also have had to gain control over territories in Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as Canada and the US state of Alaska.
The Empire of Japan would then control Asia and the Pacific. The United States and the United Kingdom would have no option but to surrender. This would be unlikely, but more on that later.
This is a key question, if one is to imagine such a scenario. How would the Axis powers triumph over the Allies? To begin with, Nazi Germany, with the help of the Kingdom of Italy, would have had to successfully occupy continental Europe, including the former Soviet Union.
The General Government of Poland (head Hans Frank, pictured) would likely have extended its territory to include a great part of the former Soviet Union, with the most eastern part of it being controlled by the Japanese.
Victory at the conclusion of WWII would only get Adolf Hitler started on his grand plan for world domination. The Nazis did think big, and they would likely see this as one of many victories to come. Yes, this means that more World Wars would probably break out as Germany tried to expand the Reich.
In reality, the Nazis were trying to bite off more than they could chew—it was just a matter of time until the Axis powers were defeated.
Axis powers would have to work together to dominate or destroy the United States. Japan, in particular, would play a crucial role from the Pacific side, while Germany and Italy would take on the other fronts.
China, France, and many other Allied combatant nations (including resistance troops in occupied territories) surely kept Hitler on his toes.
Africans and non-Japanese Asians would either be killed or forced into slavery. As would those from Central and South America.
The hypothetical Axis victory of World War II has been the subject of many fiction works, including several books. But what would have likely happened to the world if the Allies had lost the war? What would come next, after Nazi Germany claimed victory?
In this gallery, we explore hypothetical scenarios in a world where the Third Reich took over. Click on to find out what could have happened to the globe's nations and their people.
How the world might have changed if the Allies had lost World War II
What would the world look like if Axis powers had won?
TRAVEL Counterfactual history
The hypothetical Axis victory of World War II has been the subject of many fiction works, including several books. But what would have likely happened to the world if the Allies had lost the war? What would come next, after Nazi Germany claimed victory?
In this gallery, we explore hypothetical scenarios in a world where the Third Reich took over. Click on to find out what could have happened to the globe's nations and their people.