Different world without WWII Comments 4 October 12, 2010 6:53 PM If there had not been a World War II, and all the servicemen lost had been available for marriage and the spawning of kids, what a different world we would have. It is hard to imagine that many more people there would have been in the population mix, affecting housing, employment, food intake, etc. The comprehension machinery shuts down and spins off into infinity. Thousands of loving families, kids, grandkids and great-grandkids were simply not created because of the war. What a different world it would have been without World War II. GLEN P. HENDRICK Yuma something that I have often wondered, what would the worlds population have been today?...
Well maybe a lot of them would still be British as without WWII various nationalists movements around the world wouldn't have had the push they did. Who knows what areas of the world map would still be red and which areas would have been given independence. As for population numbers IIRC in a recent EU vote or similar the Germans made some remark about Poland's vote not counting so much because of their low population figure whereupon the Polish replied that their population is only as low as it is thanks to Germany's actions in WWII.
World War II wasn't one war. It was really several different ones taking place simulanteously. You had the Japan -China and occasionally Soviet Union war. This was going on from the mid-30's. Then there is Soviet expanison in Eastern Europe. The SU annexes parts of Romania, the Baltic states and has a war with Finland. Italy starts a series of colonial expansions. They invade and conqueror Ethiopia among other places. Germany is expansionist culmunating in 1939 with the invasion of Poland. Japan and the US eventually end up at war and the Commonwealth, Dutch and others are drug in. So, for what became WW 2 to not occur really requires alot of different nations independently pursuing national goals using military force to not be involved in their particular part of the war. Several of the Middle East nations start making noises but are put down by primarily Britian but also Russia and the US. Iran, Iraq and, Egypt being three of these.
Depending on when this splits from Our Time Line (OTL): The Great Depression would have run on for a few more years. The Baby Boom in the US would not have happened as it did. The Philippines would have their independence in 1945, probably with MacArthur in a major role. The Communists would have taken China sooner if the Japanese hadn't interfered with that country's internal politics.
War seems to be inevitable anyway after one or two new generations after the horrors of war are forgotten. It was just the fear of total destruction by nuclear arms that brought the "Final peace". Italy was looking for more living space, Hitler, Stalin etc It was in the horizon in my view already, the WW2. Sadly so.
The Twenty Year Rule. Young bucks who haven't seen the elephant and old bucks who won't be on the line this time. Bad combination.
as Vladd eluded, all the European colonies around the world would have taken longer to gain independence. The war hastened the end of several 'empires' beside the Japanese and German. India? Africa? Has anyone spoken about technology? Rocketry, engines, weapons, planes...
I think TV would have advance quicker. And Goddard's boys would have been free to work on something besides 5" rockets for the Typhoons.
It is hard to imagine no war considering all the variables in play, still if the US does not go to war for whatever reason, it seems likely the US does not become a global superpower. The ability to do so is still there, but not the reason to do so. America becomes one of several major powers.
Germany gets stronger, Japan gets stronger, (both without going to war), and the US gets stronger but with a more inward focus the either. The United States had its own market at that time, we still had met consumer demands at home for radios, refrigerators, sewing machines, etc.
Soviet Russia also gets stronger as well, The British Empire slowly,serenly declines with more of her colonies becoming Commonwealth Dominions like Canada. France becomes the sick man of Europe because most of her colonies were second rate compared to England's, and because they did not treat them with the same level of enlightenment. Any guess who succeeds Hitler in a peacefull Reich?
On the other hand, Manchuko and Korea would have remained in Japanese hands and likely Japan would have become a much greater power by the 50's. This would put Japan on the Asian continent with a divided China (with Japan's presence and unwillingness to accept a united, communist China this is virtually inevidable) and still having tensions with Russia. The British Empire would still have gained independence. India, Egypt, Iraq, etc., would have become independent states by the 50's in any case.
