During World War II, the Soviet Union was the main battlefield of anti-fascism in Europe, and the Soviet army was also the main force in eliminating the German Nazis, and the Soviet army swept through Eastern Europe and defeated the German army.
Some people say that at the end of World War II, the Soviet Union was fully capable of occupying all of Europe, increasing its territory by another 10 million square kilometers, and turning the Soviet Union into a truly world's largest power.
So why didn't Stalin do that?
In fact, the above inference is wrong, at that time the Soviet Union was simply not capable of occupying all of Europe.
To answer this question, one must look at who the enemy the Soviet Union was facing in its occupation of Europe.
Due to ideological differences, at the beginning of the 20th century, the European powers were extremely hostile to the nascent socialist Soviet Union, and there were 14 capitalist countries that intervened in Soviet Russia by force.
Before the outbreak of World War II, the attitude of Britain and France toward the Red Soviet Union did not change, and they still hoped that Germany and the Soviet Union would fight each other to the death, so they adopted appeasement in an attempt to move the waters east.
It was only by seeing that the German army was strong and unstoppable that Britain and the United States regarded the Soviet Union as an ally and gave it great assistance.
At the end of World War II, after the defeat of Germany, Britain immediately regarded the Soviet Union as its number one enemy, as evidenced by Churchill's Iron Curtain speech.
Therefore, when the Soviet Union tried to occupy all of Europe, it was necessary to ask Britain and France whether they agreed or not.
Not only that, but the Soviet Union wanted to become the occupier of Europe, but also faced fierce resistance from the armies of Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and other countries.
Even the former Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and the neutral countries of Switzerland, Sweden, and Spain would not submit to soviet occupation.
The United States, which prides itself on being the savior of Europe, the defender of the world order, and a traditional ally of Britain, will not stand idly by and will intervene at any cost.
Because the Soviet Union's attempt to occupy Europe was the same as Hitler's purpose in launching World War II; since the United States could declare war on Germany, it would naturally go to war with the Soviet Union.
So, let's make a comprehensive comparison between the Soviet Union and the United States, Britain, France, and other countries.
population
Population is the most valuable resource, and in the absence of robots replacing soldiers, population is always the first element of success or failure in war.
The Soviet population lost 30 million in World War II, and mostly young men between the ages of 20 and 45, and it was not until 1955 that the population returned to pre-World War II levels.
Without normal population growth, there is no source of troops, and the reduction in the number of troops caused by the war cannot be replenished in time, and it is difficult to sustain a protracted war.
The number of American casualties was only 380,000, and the number of British casualties was 400,000, which together were less than one-thirtieth of the Soviet casualties.
At the end of World War II, the population of the Soviet Union was about 160 million. Although the three Baltic states and Ukraine that the Soviet Union ostensibly possessed, as well as Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Yugoslavia, which the Soviet Army occupied, could be its help, they were not monolithic, and once the war began, they would become hidden dangers and obstacles to the Soviet Union.
In 1945, the population of the United States was 141 million, and the population of the United Kingdom was 44 million, which exceeded that of the Soviet Union; if you add up the population of the 80 million people in the American colony of the Philippines, and the population of The Hardcore Colonies of Australia, Canada, and Singapore in The United Kingdom at that time, it is far more than the Soviet Union.
troops
At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union had a total strength of 12.8 million, but it was already stretched to the limit; because a large number of young and middle-aged people had sacrificed their lives for the country.
In 1945, the total strength of the United States was 13 million people, and the cumulative mobilization of 20 million people, the mobilization capacity of the tower still has a lot of space, if the war requires, you can continue to mobilize, increase the reserve army.
At the end of World War II, Britain's total strength was around 3 million.
This is not counting de Gaulle's France, which also has a population of 40 million, a strength of 1.7 million, and few casualties during World War II.
The armies of the Anglo-American colonies, even if India is not taken into account, are more than 5 million in the Philippines, Singapore, Australia and Canada alone.
According to conservative estimates, Britain and the United States could devote more than 20 million troops to the Soviet Union.
National strength and resources
War is a money-burning war, and only when the country is strong can it sustain a protracted war.
War is also a fight for resources, and without inexhaustible resources, war cannot be waged.
At the end of World War II, the United States and its allies accounted for three of the world's top four industrial and military powers.
The United States is the world's undisputed first industrial and military power, the Soviet Union is the world's second military power, Britain's military ranks second, industrial manufacturing capacity ranks second, (the destruction of war Britain is less than the Soviet Union), Germany and Japan are excluded, France is deservedly the world's fourth military and economic power.
One of the world's second-ranked countries can't compete with the first-ranked countries, and with the addition of two top four countries, there is no chance of winning.
Not only that, Britain and France were also the largest colonial empires in the world at that time; the Colonies controlled by France were more than 1,000 square kilometers; the area of british colonies during World War II was three times that of France, up to 30 million square kilometers.
The oil-rich regions of the world, with the exception of the Soviet Union, Romania and Iran, are under the control of Britain and the United States.
At that time, the oil-rich East Indies were under the control of Britain, the United States and the Netherlands.
World War II devastated the Soviet Union and became a ruin, which can be described as a thousand holes.
The war caused enormous damage and losses to the Soviet Union: nearly 2,000 cities and workers' quarters were looted by the Germans, more than 30,000 industrial enterprises were destroyed by the war, and more than 60,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 2,000 state farms, nearly 3,000 agricultural machinery stations and nearly 100,000 collective farms ceased to exist.
According to the most conservative estimates, the Soviet Union suffered material losses, nearly 700 billion rubles, and the industrial and agricultural systems suffered devastation.
At that time, the Soviet Union was in ruins; except for the normal operation of military production, all the industrial bases in the Soviet Union almost stopped functioning. Relying on its unique geographical advantages, the United States has been spared the two world wars, sustained economic development, and rapid scientific and technological progress.
Before 1941, the United States did not enter the war, but instead exported weapons and strategic materials to Britain, France, Germany, Japan and other belligerents, making a lot of money.
Before World War II, the United States accounted for one-third of the world's industrial production and had a GDP of $200 billion.
When the United States launched the war machine, the enormous potential that erupted was blown up by the eyes of the entire world.
In 1944, the total steel production of the Soviet Union, Germany, Britain, France and Japan was only about 60 million tons, and the steel output of the United States was as high as 80 million tons. Take oil as an example.
In 1945, the annual oil production of the United States was 230 million tons, and the total global oil production at that time was only 360 million tons, and the United States accounted for about 60% of the world's oil production.
As the "arsenal of democracies," the United States has made the world tremble with its industrial manufacturing capabilities.
From July 1, 1940 to July 1, 1945, the United States produced about 300,000 military aircraft, mostly advanced bombers and fighters.
During the same period, the United States produced 86,700 tanks, 4,600 merchant ships, and 3.5 million military vehicles.
According to statistics, during World War II, the United States built an Essex-class heavy aircraft carrier in 173 days; an Independence-class light aircraft carrier in 78 days; an escort aircraft carrier in 41 days; a capital destroyer in 8 days; and an escort destroyer in 4 days.
During World War II, the Soviet Union's manufacturing capacity was also very amazing, with more than 100,000 tanks, 130,000 aircraft, 120 guns of various kinds, and 200,000 cars (half of the car production of the United States, and 400,000 cars received American assistance during World War II).
However, the United States is manufacturing in the military industry without affecting other manufacturing industries.
The Soviet Union, on the other hand, achieved such remarkable results at the expense of other manufacturing industries and concentrating on the production of armaments.
If a country produces armaments for a long time and freezes other manufacturing industries, it is tantamount to drinking and quenching thirst, and it cannot be sustained at all.
Because without considering the national economy and people's livelihood, the country will collapse and lose the ability to sustain war.
weapons
In the 1940s, mankind has entered the era of hot weapons, and the level of weapons and equipment determines the success or failure of war.
For example, the I-16 of the Chinese Air Force cannot defeat the Japanese Zero fighter; and the Zero war cannot defeat the American P38, and the change of ace pilots cannot change the results.
For example, if Germany had tens of thousands of Tiger King tanks, it would certainly be able to block the soviet steel torrent.
Even if you let the combat hero drive a Firefly tank, it will not withstand the attack of the 88 guns.
During World War II, the Scientific and Technological Elite of the United States gathered, the level of science and technology was leading the world, and science and technology was the primary productive force, which could also be transformed into combat effectiveness.
Had it not been for the Development of the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber by the United States, it would not have been possible to bomb the Japanese mainland in the spring of 1945, destroy Japan's military factories, and Japan would not have been defeated so quickly.
More importantly, the Japanese Emperor would not have announced his surrender immediately after the atomic bombs had been dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Let us not forget that the Soviet Union possessed the atomic bomb four years after the Americans successfully tested the atomic bomb.
If, after the end of World War II, the Soviet army was really determined to dominate Europe and invade the countries of Western Europe, the United States would really use atomic bombs as a last resort.
Don't look at the Korean War, the United States did not use atomic bombs, that is for a reason.
First of all, although North and South Korea were two countries at the time, they were not recognized by the United Nations, and the Korean War was originally a civil war.
Second, it was the US military that first invaded Korea and landed at Inchon, and only then did the volunteers enter Korea to resist the United States and aid Korea. Therefore, there is no legal basis for the United States to use the atomic bomb.
If the Soviet Union invaded a country in Western Europe, or exposed its strategic intention to occupy Europe, it was not impossible for the United States to use the atomic bomb.
Don't forget that in 1946, a small Iran could make the Soviet army make concessions and obediently withdraw, mainly because of the intervention of the United States and Britain.
At that time, the Soviet Union was afraid of many things, and the atomic bomb was also one of the very important reasons.
That crisis was actually a contest between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The Berlin Crisis, which broke out two years after the Iran crisis, also ended in the defeat of the Soviet Union.
Even the local conflict Of the Soviet Union did not have the ability to resist hard, and the Soviet Union really did not have the strength to fight in an all-round conflict.
Objectively speaking, it was not until the outbreak of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the sixty years that the Soviet Union had the ability to confront the United States in an all-round way, but it was at best evenly matched and did not occupy an overwhelming advantage.
Then again, not only the Soviet Union, but also the United States did not have the ability to occupy all of Europe.
After World War II, according to the strength of the United States, it seemed that it could occupy all of Europe, but it could not last.
In that case, the war becomes a war of aggression; in the long run, the war of aggression is unpopular and rarely won.