Chapter 584 - 451: The United States’ Participation in War and Its Impact_3
In fact, apart from the United States, there was another country that also wanted to join the Allies in declaring war on Germany, and that was the Island Nation.
However, the Island Nation was different from the United States. It had neither an advanced economic system like the United States nor a navy strong enough to be taken seriously by Britain and France.
Moreover, the Island Nation had a severe shortage of mineral resources, which joining the Allies would require assistance from Britain and France.
Therefore, Britain and France directly refused the request of the Island Nation to join the Allies, and the Island Nation's plot to seize Germany's colonies in East Asia during the war was also thwarted.
If the Island Nation did not join the Allies, it would have to declare war on Germany alone. However, the interests of the Allied forces involved all German overseas territories, and if the Island Nation openly occupied Germany's East Asian colonies, it would be harming the interests of the Allies.
If the Island Nation dared to do so, even if the United States was its ally, it would not be able to save the Island Nation.
Although Britain and France had suffered heavy losses after the war, they could still easily deal with an Island Nation.
It is important to note that last year, the Island Nation's military spending was only 2.2 billion US dollars, and it could not even reach the military expenditure of Larasia, so how could the Island Nation have the courage to challenge the status of Britain and France?
Considering the current strength demonstrated by Larasia, if there was a war between Larasia and the Island Nation, the Island Nation may not have the upper hand.
Although Larasia's army is at a disadvantage in terms of its number, if Larasia's navy completely blockades the Island Nation and the Air Force continues to bomb major urban cities in the Island Nation, it would soon face a shortage of supplies.
For an island country like the Island Nation, which is extremely short of material resources, it will never have a chance to rise if its naval force is not strong.
Once blockaded, the predicament faced by the Island Nation would be even more severe than that of Germany. The lack of various materials would be enough to cause the country's internal collapse.
The biggest change the United States' participation in the war brought to Europe was the change in public opinion among European countries.
Since June 1st when the United States declared war on Germany, newspapers in various European countries generally predicted Germany's failure, and many media outlets directly declared that Germany's demise would happen within a short period and the people of the Allied countries could soon celebrate victory.
After the United States joined the Allies, the number of strong countries in the Allies reached six, while there were only two in the Allied Nations.
Even in terms of paper data, the Allies still maintain a huge advantage over the Allied Nations. This advantage not only lies in population, economy, and industry, but also in the land area, mineral resources, and various material reserves of the Allies.
Just comparing the consumption of manpower and resources, the Allied Nations absolutely couldn't compete with the Allies.
Even within the Allied Nations, some media in Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire began to question their government's performance in the war.
The Germans were unwilling to believe that the powerful German Empire was at a disadvantage in this war and might lose the war.
Fortunately, Germany is currently under the control of a military government and will not be shaken by the doubts of some newspapers.
One of the advantages of a military government is that the rear government fully understands the front-line commanders. The German government and the Junker nobility are still firmly pro-war and have not been affected.
However, Germany may have avoided the crisis, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not so lucky.
There were multiple forces within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Carl I had just ascended the throne without much prestige, making the media in the empire highly outspoken.
At first, the newspapers questioned the government's decisions in the war, and eventually began to question the government and Carl I.
Under the influence of these newspapers, the people also began to have some trust issues with the government.
Strikes and protests erupted in factories and streets all over the Austro-Hungarian Empire, demanding the government to stop the war and return to the pre-war order.