How close Nazi Germany came to dominating Europe. Map by Morgan Hauser via WikimediaWhat if Hitler and the Nazis had won World War II? This is perhaps the greatest historical ‘what if’ of all time. The map above shows just how close they came.

This has led both novelists and historians to speculate about might have happened if Germany had won the war and how they might have done so. Below we’ll look at a few fictional scenarios (with maps) where they do win and what that means for the rest of the world. This will be followed by some historical speculation about whether or not Germany really could have won.

[Read more…]