Foreign Balance after WWII

Establishment of Foreign Balance of Power after WWII


Global politics and power sharing between the big three, China, Russia and the United States in the early part of the 21st Century have their roots in the power sharing established in the events prior to and during World War II.


Events of World War II
1910: Japanese rule in Korea began in 1910.
1931: Japan invades China's northern province of Manchuria in September.
1937: Japan expanded operations into the rest of China in 1937
1939: Germany invades Czechoslovakia
1940: Germany invades Belgium and Holland and France
1941: Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
1942: United States first counter attacked in Japan on April 18, 1942
1945: Japan surrenders to United States in February
1945: Japan surrenders to China in September


Losses
About 50 million people were killed during WWII.
25 million - Soviet Union
13 million - China
 6 million - Jews
 7 million - Rest of the world both Axis and Allied forces and citizens. Germany, Japan, Italy, along with the United States, Great Britain, France, Poland, Holland, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, plus more.


The Second World War began for China in 1931 with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. By the end of the year, the American legation and press bore witness to the rape of 30,000 women and up to 100,000 soldiers in the Chinese city of Nanking by Japanese during one 30 day period alone. Then the United States watched as Great Britain was attacked by Germany in 1940. The Chinese essentially would fight Japanese aggression until the United States began attacking in 1942 – five years later after the US lost about 2,403 dead and 1,178 wounded. By the end of the war, globally 50 million people were dead. 25 million Soviets died during the war, more than all of the other nations combined. Of the balance, 13 Million Chinese died along with the 6 million Jews at the hands of Axis powers. Through the Lend Lease Program, the United States gave $31.4 billion to Great Britain, $11.3 billion to the Soviet Union, $3.2 billion to France. China received $1.6 billion along with one US Army general.  China’s military – largely the Chinese Nationalist Forces, essentially bore all of the fighting alone against the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces for 5 years as Britain and France cut their losses in Asia and focused on Europe. By the end of the long vicious war, China lost in total more people than all of other nations of the world combined less the Soviet Union. Yet, China had received only 5 percent of the aide that the tiny island nation of Great Britain received and 14 percent of what the communist nation of the Soviet Union had been given.


China fought the Japanese for 14 years with 5 percent of the help the US sent to Great Britain.
America fought the Japanese for 3.5 years with 8 percent of China's losses.


From the perspective of the Chinese and Russians, they fought and lost more than the rest of the world.


Therefore, any interaction with the Chinese and the Russians must be understood in context of the price they paid.