DBWI: Was the Austrian War inevitable?

Were Mussolini and Hitler destined to fight over Austria, or could the conflict have been resolved diplomatically? Given Hitler's Pan-German ideology, he would probably never accept an independent Austria, especially one under Italian influence. So is it possible for Mussolini to accept a German Austria? What could Hitler offer in return? And if conlict is inevitable, is a German victory possible?
 

BigBlueBox

Banned
If Italy had gone through on its plan to invade Ethiopia, that would have thrown a wrench in Italy’s relations with France and Britain. In that scenario Italy might have seeked a reconciliation with Germany and accepted German claims on Austria in return for Germany accepting Italian claims on Yugoslavia. As for whether or not the Germans could win, they were winning until the French joined the war against them. No French intervention = German victory.
 
Top