this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
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That's the fundamental problem with the premise. I might suggest comparing WW2 to profit prior periods of global war - the Thirty Years War or the Napoleonic Wars or even WW1 - when looking for a "what might have been?" hypothetical.
WW1 is actually a great comparison, as it illustrates a world that fought a brutal, self-destructive conflict and came out of it learning virtually nothing.
I vehemently disagree on the world learning nothing.
Chamberlain's appeasement policy was motivated by lessons learnt from WW1.
The "sitting war" that left Poland all alone against Germany while Germany's western border was wide open was due to lessons learnt from WW1.
The French defensive strategy was a direct result of lessons learnt from WW1.
The US reluctance to get involved was due to WW1 experience.
Even the crippling reparations for Germany that helped the Nazis rise to power in the first place were a result of lessons learnt from WW1.
My point is: The entire world learnt lessons from WW1. They did the best they could to prevent another war just like it.
But without the benefit of hindsight, they didn't realize how much had changed in the few interwar years, so they learnt all the wrong lessons.