AHC Earlier European Union

Earlier victory by Entente, say some time in late 1915. Leading to easier peace terms with Germany and perhaps even some sort of Danube confederation surviving. Some sort of collapse in Russia and France helping Germany to defeat communists in Berlin, or something like that.

In any case, regardless of when war ends, better peace terms after the war, allowing for less resentment and faster reconciliation between France and Germany.

By, say 1917, Germany and France reestablish trade and to prevent the repeat of the war start integrating markets.

Crucial ideas would be to:

- prevent spread of communism
- prevent repeat of the war
- secure the continuing domination of Europe in world affairs.

Preventing this outcome is the fact if the war is not bloody enough and ends early, it probably butterflies away communism and fear of repeating the war.
 
Poland falls in 1920 to the Soviet advance. A Polish SSR is established. In the following year, Lithuania falls as well.
That changes the dynamics in Upper Silesia and other areas along the Polish-German border.
A stronger Red Scare in Western Europe leads the French to the grudging acceptance of the fact that any cordon sanitaire against the Soviet Union has to include Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania. Instead of a Ruhr occupation and hyperinflation, we have a parallel to the Treaty of Lausanne that revised the Treaty of Sevres: The ATL Treaty of Ascona of 1923, signed by Gustav Stresemann for Germany, is the foundation of an economic and military alliance in western and central Europe.
 
Doesn't fully meet the OP, but can something potentially be done with this?

Good catch. These Paneuropeans with their emphasis on liberalism and christianity plus the view that a Pan-European Union would be "the only way of guarding against an eventual world hegemony by Russia" sounds like an ideal ideaology for the anti-Soviet League mentioned in my post. The formation year of 1923 also fits perfect.
 
Have a USSR that's more expansiony, annexing everything except buffer states and maybe doing somewhat better, like Austria being split in two ala Germany along the OTL Austrian Occupation Zone lines and then an America that, while not going isolationist, is'nt really that outward looking and only opposes the Soviets further growin in Europe with a Mututal Defence Treaty, but otherwise leaving Europe to its own devices.

Thus with a more threatening USSR and a more distant America, the non-Soviet European countries will feel their only chance is to pull together.
 
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