(03-08-2023, 11:54 PM)mikesez Wrote:

(03-08-2023, 11:43 PM)homebiscuit Wrote: I don't doubt they would have more clout, but not more than the U.S. strictly because no country in the world has our natural resources and protective barriers.

We agree it would be a closer call. 
If the Russians let the eastern European nations, especially Poland,  have free and fair elections before 1950, the EU might have formed more quickly and NATO might never have formed at all.  America may have reverted to isolationism if the Russians were playing nice.  The whole Cold War competition doesn't happen the same way.  While both sides would have developed rockets and satellites, manned space flight might not have been emphasized as much.  The US would be less involved in Europe, and, depending on whether the UK decides to join the EU, perhaps English would not become the common language of the EU.  Perhaps by now it might be French or German or even Russian.  The influence of speaking the common language is huge. Losing that would change a lot.