This is most ridiculous, the LL for USSR was sanctioned by USA in October 1941 and the first shipments did not reach before December 1941, after the end of the "BATTLE OF MOSCOW", the single most decisive and important battle of the war.
About 50 Billion $, Aid was given by the USA of which - In all, $31.4 billion went to Britain, $11.3 billion to the Soviet Union, $3.2 billion to France, $1.6 billion to China, and the remaining $2.6 billion to the other Allies. i.e. about 20-22% of the LL went to the USSR and the USSR gave back about $1 Billion in reverse LL in the form of precious metals, technology and air-bases etc. So the net effect was a little over $10 Billion positive to the USSR.
Now, let us see the war time spending of the USSR-
The GDP of the USSR was approx. $400 Billion in 1940, now granted in 1941 and 1942 this figure would have considerably gone down, still the USSR had over $300 Billion per year on an average in war-time, thus LL works out to 3% of GDP of one year and divided into 4 years of War, it is less than 1% of GDP.
Considering that the USSR spent over 70% of its GDP on the War in the 4 year long Eastern Front.
i.e. the USSR spent about $200 Billion per year on the War, this means that war-time expenditure of the USA via LL on the USSR was slightly over 1%.
Also, the Bulk of the LL was post August-September 1942, when the major Decisive battle of Moscow was over and Stalingrad had started.
So, in all LL did not matter much for the USSR except that it helped shorten the war by about 6 months, in-fact if not for LL, the 1944 offensives of the USSR may not have succeeded to the extent it succeeded, this means that Germany will be able to put more men and material on the Western Front and cause immense pain in terms of "losses" to the Western Allies.
Sure, if the SU had a GDP of $400 Billion in 1940 than they had a greater GDP than the rest of the world.
The worlds GDP was in 1938 $240 Billion.
The Nominal National Products of the major powers in 1938, in current dollars:
(1) United States: 84.7 billion
(2) Germany: 46.0 billion*
(3) UK: 27.51 billion
(4) USSR: 23.02 billion
(5) France: 16.18 billion
(6) Italy: 8.68 billion
(7) Japan: 7.49 billion
*Note that Germany's figures includes Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia, as they were annexed into the country in 1938.
Estimated GDP's of other Western European countries:
Denmark: 1.9 billion (assumed per capita income of British/German level, 500 dollars)
Sweden: 3.15 billion (assumed per capita income of British/German level, 500 dollars)
Switzerland: 2.94 billion (assumed per capita income of 700 dollars)
Netherlands: 4.35 billion (assumed per capita income of British/German level, 200 dollars)
Belgium: 4.2 billion (assumed per capita income of British/German level, 200 dollars)
Norway: 1.16 billion (assumed per capita income of French level, 200 dollars)
Finland: 1.48 billion (assumed per capita income of French level, 200 dollars)
Greece: 1.42 billion (assumed per capita income of Italian level, 200 dollars)
Spain: 2.53 billion (assumed per capita income of Bulgarian level, 100 dollars)
Portugal: 0.76 billion (assumed per capita income of Bulgarian level, 100 dollars)
total estimated GDP: 23.89 billion
Western Europe:
23.89 billion (estimated) + 98.37 billion (known) = 122.26 billion
So, in 1938, the World Distribution of GDP was:
Europe: 155.4 billion
--- Western Europe: 122.26 billion
--- Eastern Europe: 10.09 billion
--- Soviet Union: 23.02 billion
United States: 84.7 billion
Japan: 7.49 billion
total: 240.59 billion
