Originally posted by AbsntMndedProf
NaKATPase posted:
"Wouldn't this be the UK? Seeing as the war caused her to lose her whole empire?"
It's likely that the UK would have lost her empire eventually. Various nationalist movements were sprining up in places like India prior to WW II. This, combined with the fact that the empire was beginning to cost the UK more than she could get out of it, would probably have led to its fall. The war just sped up the process. JMHO from what I've read.
Eric Maietta
Unlikely, the Oriental independence movements were fuelled by the stunning speed of Japanese successes through the area. In particular, the hub of the Empire in the Far East, Malaya saw that GB just couldn't be relied upon to protect her.
India would have gained independence maybe ten or twenty years later (certainly not in Gandhi's lifetime -too much baggage).
The main problem is that with the huge loans from the US, we had to open up the Commonwealth markets to repay (we only finished re-paying the US Federal Reserve last year!) the debt.
The African colonies probably wouldn't have gotten as inspired as much about independence without the propagation of American values.
This led to a huge increase in US economic power all over the world. What America gained post-war (apart from in S America) is in direct proportion to what GB lost.
I imagine the UK will still be counting the cost of the loss of Pax Brittanica for a while.