What was the relationship between Germany (Nazis) and Japan during WW11? (WW2, war)

[questioner2]

I always wondered what would have happened if Germany and Japan would have won the Second World War. Would they have worked together to take over the rest of the world? Or would they have gone to war against each other to gain world dominance? Or maybe, they would have left each other alone.

If America would have lost the war, I wonder what the world would be like now. Maybe more efficent and less troubled?

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by questioner2

If America would have lost the war, I wonder what the world would be like now. Maybe more efficent and less troubled?

Ummm, WHAT? I was going to answer this except for the last sentence, which just leaves me shaking my head in amazement.

Yes Germany would have gotten more efficient in killing jews and others not of the Aryan race. The concentration camp death output would have been just amazing.

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by questioner2

If America would have lost the war, I wonder what the world would be like now. Maybe more efficent and less troubled?

I'm not sure America could have lost the war, She may not have won. The German's didin't have a Navy capable of transporting troops to America, Had the Japanese not attacked Pearl Harbor, we may very well have never entered the war.

[LordBalfor]

While it is HIGHLY unlikely that Japan and/or Germany could have won the war, if they had, the most likely result would have been an uneasy peace between the 3 remaining major powers in the world (US, Germany, and Japan). The way this is most likely to have happened of course is if the US had been kept out of the war entirely (Cali BassMan's comment in this regard is exactly right).

First off, it's important to keep in mind that neither Germany nor Japan had any real expectations of conquering the entire world, rather each had dreams of powerful regional empires that would become major players on the world stage.

Secondly, though Germany and Japan were technically allies, it was purely an alliance of convenience (not withstanding the fact that Hitler declared the Japanese "Honorary Arians" (LOL!!!!!!!!!)) and in fact, they had almost nothing in common other than the fact that both were fighting the same countries (though the USSR did not declare war on Japan until after Germany was defeated). Consequently if the war with the Western Allies had been won, there is little reason to think the two countries would have gotten along in the long run. In the short run, there would have been no problems, since each would have been fully occupied obsorbing their vast new holdings. Now, 50 or 60 years later (nowadays) that would probably have changed as tensions would no doubt have increased between 2 such aggressive nations. Because of the strong racial undertones of the NAZI's, I would expect that Germany would have tried (however successfully or unsuccessfully) to cultivate an alliance with the US against the Japanese - and I regret to say that there is a great likelihood that many Americans would have been so inclined.

Ken

[Chicago60614]

Even if Germany had won in northern Africa and the UK - then what?? They'd be sitting there, worn out and exhausted of resources, men and supplies - and then have to "hold" all these other coutries.

Hardly anyone in the countries they took over wanted them there, Netherlands, UK (if they had won), France, Belgium, Baltic countries, Norway.

They would have had a HELL of a time keeping things under control, and you can't just sit and do that forever. The resistance would have worn them down from the inside.

Hitler was insane, he thought people would welcome his new wonderful empire. Imagine if your city was taken over by an enemy force. Would you just throw your hands up and start playing by their rules? No, at the very least you'd secretly try and screw up everything they were attempting to accomplish, let alone just outright fighting.

[Dd714]

I wasn't going to answer because of the OP's last sentence, which is kind of strange...but the question is interesting.

There are almost to many variables to consider. For America to have lost the war it almost means that Russia would have to have lost the war first, as that was really where Germany's fate was decided. Thus England would have fallen and America would have had some sort of cease fire arrangement with the Axis powers.
The other variables are that the U.S. did not enter the war in the first place, or Germany did not decide to invade USSR, or Japan did not bomb Pearl Harbor, etc.
As Lord Balfor explained, each of the Axis powers were intent on becoming regional powers, not "conquering the world". America would continue as a power in America, Japan in Asia, and Germany in Europe. The conquired provinces would run as puppet state "Vichy"-type governments. A cold war would have developed between these 3 powers, instead of the US-USSR situation, with again the developing countries of Africa, etc, being played as pawns. Germany would continue it's ethnic cleansing, particularly in Russia, as would Japan in China. Certainly Germany, maybe Japan, would become nuclear powers by the late 40's and, probably, world war 3 would be fought by the late 50's as they would have the resources to continue to build up forces. It would be a frightful world.

[skytrekker]

The Nazi's and the Japanese had a very good relationship- the Germans praised the Japanese for the quality of their military machinery. While the Japanese where empathetic to the Nazi's against Western Europe- Anglo-Franco influence- and that of North America.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

The Nazi's and the Japanese had a very good relationship- the Germans praised the Japanese for the quality of their military machinery. While the Japanese where empathetic to the Nazi's against Western Europe- Anglo-Franco influence- and that of North America.

As Marc mentions, the NAZI's were first and foremost racists and considered every other race to be both inferior and their natural enemies. The relationship with the Japanese was purely meant to be a short term one - they were to be utilized to help Germany defeat the allies and for nothing else. Afterall, he had forged an alliance with Stalin in 1939 that he had no intention of keeping long-term. Treaties meant nothing to Hitler and were simply tools he utilized to meet his SHORT TERM needs.

Ken

[Six Foot Three]

Something else to consider and that is if Germany had beaten Russia and the U.S. had stayed out then Germany would have rolled thru the Middle East and controlled most of the worlds oil reserves which could have crippled its enemies.

[Merlander]

Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3

Something else to consider and that is if Germany had beaten Russia and the U.S. had stayed out then Germany would have rolled thru the Middle East and controlled most of the worlds oil reserves which could have crippled its enemies.

Yep, good point. They would have controlled both Russian and middle eastern oil.

Predicting what would happen in the far future though, is nearly impossible. Just too many variables, like the Foundation trilogy by Asimov.

But, there are some pretty obvious conclusions.

With a defeated/weakened Russia and China, communism could well have come to an end. Hence, no iron curtain for central europe. Probably no Vietnam and Korean wars. The U.S. wouldn't have had to fight the cold war - perhaps an anti-fascist cold war instead, although even that isn't a certainty. Here's why:

According to the 1990 census, there are more ethnic Germans in this country than any other group. Irish are #2. After 1990, the US census stopped collecting this info.

There was a lot of sympathy in the US for the German position in WW1 [among ethnic Germans], and there was even a point back then where there was a legitimate question as to what the official language of the US was to be - English won out.

With a German victory in WW2, things might have gone quite differently. Immigrant groups don't forget their roots that quickly, and with an all-powerful Germany across the Atlantic, the future direction of the US could have been radically altered. We could truly be a bi-lingual nation, with the majority of the German-speaking states concentrated in the northern half of the US.