What would Europe be like today if Germany had have won World War II?

Answer 1

"What if" history is notoriously difficult. A great many other things have happened since World War II, and it is difficult to disentangle how diferent they would have made things. One possibility is that after winning the Third Reich would have lasted not a few years but a few decades, like the Soviet Union. In which cae things might not be very different from how they are now.

Possible scenarios vary greatly depending upon when and how Germany won World War II, particularly in relation to the United States. If Germany had beaten the UK in 1940, and then knocked out Russia, the United States would have remained an isolationist power, until perhaps a later war between Germany an the US (Hitler always planned to attack the US - that's why he, apparently incredibly, declared war on the US in 1941 after Pearl Harbour). On the other hand, if we envisage a different ending to the war in 1945, this would presumably entail Hitler attacking the United States. He had plans for very long range bombers to do this, and also for missile attacks from submarines (where do you think the US got the idea of missile armed submarines from!).In either case, he would presumably have had to use nuclear weapons. possibly in the form of a "dirty bomb" spreading radioactive material. This would have weakened the US, but it would have also led to a world in which there had been large scale nuclear warfare, not just two bombs as the US dropped on Japan. Not good for peace or the prospects of humankind.

Some general thoughts:-
1. The Cold War would not have happened. Your question presupposes the defeat of Russia, so the Communist block would have disappeared, except as an underground ideology. Russia would have been a suppressed stated with endemic guerilla uprisings.
2. Hitler envisaged expelling Jews. But probably to some backwater like Madagascar. So there would have been no independent Israel, and consequently no Israeli-Arab conflict. But don't get me worng. Hitler would still have treated the Jews appallingly as being subhuman
3. Hitler would have wanted some German colonies, like Tanganyika which had been German until the First World War. But he would probably have let Britian retain at least some colonies, not least as a counterweight to the USA. The United Kingdom may have been the United States' ally, but the US made sure that the UK was wrecked economically as an international power.
4. Obviously, there would not have been immigration from Africa and the West Indies to European countries such as the UK and France.
5. Germany would have led the world in scientific advances such as space exploration. However, political repression would have to some extent retarded the develoment of new ideas.

The Second World War was in many ways two wars. One between Germany and Russia (particularly), the Uk and the USa, and the other betweem Japan and the United States, with some British involvement. Germany winning in Europe would probably have had little effect on the Japanese war.

Finally, it is a pity that things are not more different than they could have been because the Allies won World War II. Recent politicians in the West have not remembered well enough the lesson the Second World War taught about the importance of genuinely participative democracy and of human rights.

Answer 2

You assume wrongly that if the USA had not entered the war, the Axis powers would have won. The US entered late, only after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. So prior to that event, the war was between Germany and Italy, and England, Scotland, France, Belgium, and the other European nations, plus Russia and Canada. They were well on the way to winning before the US entered. Now, as to your hypothetical question about what would have happened? Most likely there would have been a Fascist government for a while, but I'm sure it would have been overthrown sooner or later and the conquered countries would have restored their democratic regimes. Hard to tell what Russia would have done, as I'm not good at predicting the Cyrillic mind. The really interesting part would have been what would have happened to the Fascist government in Canada. Would the USA have then joined in battle against the Nazi regime that had moved into North America? Probably. Anyway, that's my guess.

Answer 3

It depends on when they won, 1940, 1941, or 1942. At each stage of "the game" the terms would have been different. Hitler's plan was to make peace with England in 1940, and then subdue Russia. He then hoped to consolidate Europe into one unit. He believed that a new war (WW III) with the Anglo-Americans was inevitable, but that would take place in the generation after his death.

Certainly Europe and the world would be different than they are today, but we can only speculate on what Hitler's heirs (unlike Stalin's) would have done. Many people, like historian David Irving, who prognosticate on this question, make the false assumption that the ever emotional, mentally unstable, Hitler was a rational man whose decisions for "the future" would have been made on logic.

Answer 4

The answer is all speculation, of course, but many others and thinkers have put this question to paper.

For one, Europe would be homogenous--Festung Europa (Fortress Europe). Possibly Scandinavia would be left alone, since they were neutral in the war and are Aryan kin to the Reichsvolk. The Russians would have been taken over and more or less utterly annihilated, much like the Jews were (the same thing would probably happen later in Africa). Entertainment technology would have progressed more slowly (the television would probably not have really gained ground until the 1970s or so), but transit and rocket technology would be much more advanced, as would practical and industrial technologies.

Answer 5

There is a film called "Fatherland" starring Rutger Hauer that explores this question. The film is set during a cold war between Nazi Europe and the U.S and is about a German officer who investigates a cover up which turns out to be the holcaust.

Answer 6

Center Europe: Better warfare, clonning humans, admiring Goethe instead Shakspeare, it would be already with a huge basis in Moon.
Europe Suburbs: Producing petrol as usual.
TV would show more blonds and high standard humans than any other style (oops, already happen)

Answer 7

I am of German ancestory and I shudder to think what it would be like. First of all forget about Europe, they would have taken over the US and the whole world as well. Probably mass extermination for most of the world.

Answer 8

Maybe the most of the European countries would be speaking German, the Jews who had survived the Holocaust would probably be dead, dictatorship would continue, the Nazi party would be larger than it is now and they would have the strongest army in the world.

Answer 9

certainly North America would have turned itself into its own fortress and there is a possibility that japan would not have attacked the Americans.there is a thought that the Manhattan project would have been pushed up farther or not even exist.Simple distance would have made Hitler think more closely closely about attacking the North American continent

Answer 10

I think maybe wed all speak in German, though i think we would be at the same technological power and im guessing if his will was still strong through others wed likely be racist or facist maybe a bit of both fracist.