While this is just some nerd on the internet speculating about history, I'm pretty sure that Germany STILL would have lost even if France/UK enforced the treaty if Versailles AND the Soviets stayed out of it. Germany wasn't in a place for a protracted war and could have been easily snipped in the bud if they went early
Oh yeah, Germany was a literal paper tiger in terms of their actual military strength, any real pressure on them in 1937-1938 would have caused either them backing down from their claims, or if they went to war on the Allies terms they would be swiftly defeated, whether through blockade ala ww1 or a full on invasion through France.
At least that is what I assume, as our world allowed the Nazis to enforce their claims and get away with stupidly risky maneuvers,both political and militarily.
Thing is, there's a lot of potential win conditions for Germany. Imperial countries sue for peace, write up new treaties and draw new lines on the map, and wash your hands of the whole affair. All of Germany's newly obtained wealth off the back of that murder and brutality just becomes a footnote in the history books just like it is in the history books of every imperial power.
There's a lot of potential endings to World War 2 that involve imperialists shaking hands in a smoke filled room and just agreeing on new borders while they all switch their attention towards how they're going to divide up Africa and South America and Asia. The Soviet Union entering the war changed that. And even then a tremendous amount of work was done to reform Germany's standing as a European power.
While this is just some nerd on the internet speculating about history, I'm pretty sure that Germany STILL would have lost even if France/UK enforced the treaty if Versailles AND the Soviets stayed out of it. Germany wasn't in a place for a protracted war and could have been easily snipped in the bud if they went early
Oh yeah, Germany was a literal paper tiger in terms of their actual military strength, any real pressure on them in 1937-1938 would have caused either them backing down from their claims, or if they went to war on the Allies terms they would be swiftly defeated, whether through blockade ala ww1 or a full on invasion through France.
At least that is what I assume, as our world allowed the Nazis to enforce their claims and get away with stupidly risky maneuvers,both political and militarily.
Thing is, there's a lot of potential win conditions for Germany. Imperial countries sue for peace, write up new treaties and draw new lines on the map, and wash your hands of the whole affair. All of Germany's newly obtained wealth off the back of that murder and brutality just becomes a footnote in the history books just like it is in the history books of every imperial power.
There's a lot of potential endings to World War 2 that involve imperialists shaking hands in a smoke filled room and just agreeing on new borders while they all switch their attention towards how they're going to divide up Africa and South America and Asia. The Soviet Union entering the war changed that. And even then a tremendous amount of work was done to reform Germany's standing as a European power.