Why did the Soviet Union, which was almost in ruins during World War II, become a superpower after the war?

Before the start of World War II, among many European powers, even though the Soviet Union had vast land, it was difficult to integrate into the ranks of western European powers. This is because the industrial revolution in western Europe was nearly 100 years earlier than that in Russia. Although czar Peter I promoted Russia's industrial reform very early, due to the domestic environment, until the 1930s, in the eyes of Britain, France, Germany and other countries, this rude, huge and barbaric country was just? Big but not strong? , also not qualified to jump on them.

Moreover, while the leaders of the former Soviet Union took a series of measures to promote the industrial development of the Soviet Union, the outbreak of World War II almost dragged the whole Soviet Union into hell, and the fierce Soviet-German war turned many cities in the elite areas of the Soviet Union into ruins. The original foundation was not as good as that of Britain and France, and it was destroyed by the war. According to the truth, the national strength of the Soviet Union should be greatly retrogressed. However, the Soviet Union rose rapidly after World War II and even became a world superpower alongside the United States. How did the Soviet Union do all this?

Soviet map

First of all, it benefited from the concentrated construction of the Soviet Union for more than 20 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Since the establishment of the Soviet regime, the Soviet Union has devoted itself to domestic construction. Before the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet Union had built a brand-new socialist country through the five-year plan implemented in 1928. Moreover, with the rapid development and construction of the Soviet Union, from 1929 to 1933, global capitalism fell into economic crisis and depression.

The outbreak of the economic crisis has led to the bankruptcy of a large number of factories in capitalist countries, and countries such as the United States and Britain have no choice but to sell industrial equipment cheaply, and the living standards of many countries in Western Europe have fallen sharply. The Soviet Union took advantage of this favorable opportunity to buy advanced machines from capitalist countries all over the world, and at the same time attracted a large number of talents from capitalist countries to enter the Soviet Union through immigration plans.

Soviet industrial reform

According to statistics, 193 1 year, industrial machinery and equipment purchased by the Soviet Union from all over the world occupied 1/3 of the global market. From 65438 to 0932, the Soviet Union's purchasing power of industrial equipment reached 50% of the world's, and almost half of the machines in the United States and Britain were exported to the Soviet Union. Moreover, in recent years, as many as 65438+ ten thousand American technical engineers immigrated to the Soviet Union.

For example, about 1700 of the nearly 7,000 foreign experts employed in the heavy industry sector of the Soviet Union came from the United States. As can be seen from the above data, the Soviet Union seized the golden opportunity of the world economic crisis, rapidly developed domestic industries, made up for the shortcomings of previous agricultural powers, and even surpassed many capitalist industrial powers.

the Soviet Union

Secondly, the Soviet Union itself has the largest land area in the world, and its natural resources reserves are beyond the reach of other countries. During the Russian government's rule, it was very fond of accumulating gold for the state treasury. Therefore, during the Soviet period, Russia's gold reserves accounted for nearly 1/3 of the world. When the economic crisis broke out in other capitalist countries, the Soviet Union used this wealth to buy industrial equipment from all over the world and vigorously develop its own economy.

Coupled with its vast territory, even after World War II, the Soviet Union was able to export resources to all countries in the world while being self-sufficient. Moreover, due to such a strong family background, the Soviet Union was able to quickly restore its productivity after the war and become a global superpower when other countries were greatly weakened after the war.

Oil painting of Soviet leaders

Third, the Soviet Union was recognized by the whole world after its victory in World War II. In the European battlefield of World War II, after the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, the Soviet Union once contained Nazi Germany, with more than 90% of its troops. Although the Soviet Union paid a very heavy price in World War II, we can proudly say that Nazi Germany finally perished and the Soviet Union contributed.

The great victory of anti-fascism not only made the Soviet people proud, but also made revolutionaries all over the world full of hope for the Soviet Union. In this way, the Soviet Union, which had little influence in western European countries, became the leader of global revolutionaries, and promoted the formation of the Soviet Union's superpower status in the case of world attention. To sum up, the rapid growth of the Soviet Union as a superpower after the war was determined by earlier industrial reform, abundant resources and the background of the times.

socialist camp

Finally, of course, it is closely related to the powerful force of the Soviet Union. In World War II, the Soviet Union paid a heavy price of 27 million deaths, but at the same time, in the most cruel battlefield of the Soviet Union and Germany, the Soviet Union also refined an elite army with excellent equipment, well-trained and extremely rich combat experience. This army of 1000 million people has been almost invincible since it reversed the situation from the Soviet Union. Nazi Germany was finally wiped out, mostly because of this army. It can be said that whether Britain and the United States landed in Normandy or not, the outcome of the Soviet Union's destruction of Nazi Germany will not change.

It was this invincible division that greatly improved the status of the Soviet Union, and it was the existence of this army that made the Soviet Union's influence expand outward, and finally brought Eastern Europe and some Central European regions into the sphere of influence and supported the Eastern Group with one hand. The formation of the Eastern Group headed by the Soviet Union further established the Soviet Union's superpower status in Europe and even the world.