This article looks at the 5 most powerful countries before World War 2. For a detailed coverage of each major country’s strengths on the eve of the conflict, please head over to the 7 Most Powerful Countries Before World War 2.
5. Japan
Japan was one of the most powerful countries before World War 2. Under the Meiji Restoration, which started in 1868, Japan rapidly transformed itself into a major power through modernization and the adoption of Western technologies, while at the same time upholding its values and traditions. With an ambition to ‘free Asia’ from Western influence, Japan turned into an imperial power in 1895 with the territorial acquisition of Taiwan, and then later Manchuria, Korea, and parts of China. The Japanese military had an estimated manpower of 1.7 million personnel before the conflict started. On the naval front, the country had 10 battleships, 6 aircraft carriers, 65 submarines, 112 destroyers, 18 heavy cruisers, and over 2,200 combat aircraft.
4. Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was a great military power heading into World War 2. It had the largest standing army at that point, equipped with sizable inventories of weapons, including the biggest fleet of battle tanks in the world estimated at 30,000 in number. In the years preceding the conflict, Stalin had also established several self-sufficient heavy industries at home capable of producing tanks and ammunition on a large scale. It also sought rapprochement with Nazi Germany and signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler’s government a week before the start of the conflict. However, after the collapse of France, in 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union, which was one of the largest invasions in history. Around 27 million Soviets lost their lives during the war.
3. United States
The United States in the wake of the Great Depression in 1929 had distanced itself from the tide of fascism sweeping over Europe and Asia during the next decade. Despite the economic challenges it faced at home, the United States was still regarded among the most powerful countries before World War 2, because it had the largest economy in the world in nominal terms. While the country remained on the sidelines of the conflict until the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, it lent significant financial and military support in the form of weapons to Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, with the hope that it would tilt the outcome of the battle. As far as military strength is concerned, while the United States only had a manpower of 119,000, the country was technologically ahead of most and had advanced aircraft and naval assets. In the years that followed, millions joined the US military to defend the nation and the country’s industry worked at full capacity, dedicating its efforts to support the war which ultimately resulted in victory for the Allied Powers.
2. Germany
Germany was among the most powerful countries before World War 2, annexing various countries and regions across Europe, including Austria and Czechoslovakia before the conflict started. While Great Britain and France were superior compared to Germany when it came to population, manpower, and industrial resources, the Germans had a strong military due to their rigorous training, discipline, quality of weapons, and fighting spirit. The country had 100 infantry divisions and six armored divisions. Each division comprised between 12,000 to 25,000 troops equipped with over 440 machine guns, 135 mortars, more than 70 anti-tank guns, and 24 howitzers.
1. Great Britain
Great Britain was the most powerful country in the world heading into World War 2, just as it was before World War 1. Stephen Leacock in his 1941 book ‘The British Empire’ mentioned that the crown held direct or de facto control over about a quarter of the world’s population and economic resources. The empire also boasted the strongest and largest navy in the world, with 15 battleships, 7 aircraft carriers, 66 cruisers, 184 destroyers, 60 submarines, and 45 patrol and escort vessels. It also had the most naval bases in the world. On the aerial front, Great Britain had 536 bombers and 608 fighter jets, among other military aircraft.
To learn about other powerful countries before World War 2, you can check out our detailed report 7 Most Powerful Countries Before World War 2.
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