>>17772770Yes this is something people often forget.
Even though the euro empires were in a crisis after the war there technically was a strong bond between them as evidenced from supporting each other during Suez Crisis for instance. Even if the colonial possessions would be diminished as long as they kept the key, resource rich parts and necessary supply routes they could've rebound and become the third power. This wasn't something either the US or USSR wanted so both pushed hard for decolonisation.