alternatehistory.com

A topic that I've seen in a couple of discussions concerning a Soviet victory at Warsaw in the Soviet-Polish War is relaxation of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany to prop them up against the Bolshevik menace. Now I can see a couple of reasons to do this.

Pros:
- with the Soviets taking Poland they have a springboard to spread the revolution further. Britain and France are unlikely to know how weak the Bolsheviks are right now (reeling from civil war and forced to pacify Poland violently). Germany is the country in the best position to do something about it given that they now directly border the Soviet Union.
- Germany has just experienced a failed communist revolution. With the Reds directly on their border another revolution is possible. They could use resentment against the British and French to increase their support base, realizing nationalist rhetoric will strike a nerve in early 1920s Germany. France and Britain do NOT want a Red Germany because this will have serious ramifications:
1. The obvious threat of communist revolution spreading to France and Central Europe
2. Germany defaulting on its war reparations.
--> ergo Britain and France cannot allow Germany to turn communist.

Cons:
- a reinvigorated Germany is hard to accept for France. Millions of Frenchmen have fought and bled to beat the Hun. Though the hatred of the Germans is less pronounced in Britain, many British will scratch their heads about letting Germany rearm and cutting them slack in their war reparations payments so soon after the Great War.
- Britain and France NEED the money Germany owes them because after WW I they're close to bankruptcy too, not to mention dependent on American credit.
- There's no telling whether or not Germany will enter a marriage of convenience with the Soviets once its restraints have been relaxed/removed.

Given these considerations, how likely is it that Britain and France will relax the Treaty of Versailles if the Soviets beat Poland in the Soviet-Polish War?
Top