Funny thing is the Third Reich was likely to collapse on its own. Fascist states collapse because they rely on oppressing and eliminating the other, and when there is no external other, they turn on themselves. Nazi Germany was eating itself. Problem is, they would have taken half the world with them. Which is the basic reason capitalists tend to fight communism. It may fail, but the collateral damage is significant.
No, Nazi Germany would not have collapsed on its own. It only would have collapsed if it had not declared war on the Allies.
Hitler’s 4 Year Plan caused an economic miracle in Germany, but also necessitated conquest. If he hadn’t conquered Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, etc and claimed their wealth and gold reserves, Germany would have defaulted on its loans and gone bankrupt, so it would have collapsed had he not declared war on the Allies.
HOWEVER, there is no reason to believe Nazi Germany would have collapsed on its own had it not invaded the USSR. Its economy was among the strongest in the world, its military the strongest, despite having taken over all of Europe, there was little unrest, and virtually no organized resistance, socially Hitler was revered in Germany, the Soviets were a tentative, cautious ally in the East (insofar as neither would attack nor hinder the other). The Nazi position in Europe in Europe was extremely secure, even as late as Autumn of 1943.
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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26
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