I'd recommend taking a trip to China sometime... Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Chengdu, Kunming, Xi'an, Beijing, most of the mid-large cities are very modern. As modern as what you'll find in a lot of Europe, South America, or even the US. And definitely better than most of India...
Germany in 1942 was cultured, refined, wealthy and had great technological advances.
Fascism does that...