prevent world war 2

anamarvelo

Banned
what could the world have done diffrently between 1918 and 1939 to prevent the second world war from being on the scale that it was
 

anamarvelo

Banned
not quite

the avaerage germany citzen still felt screwed over by the allias so there still would have been a war withought hitler
 

mowque

Banned
the avaerage germany citzen still felt screwed over by the allias so there still would have been a war withought hitler

Ah, but it most likely wouldn't be on the same scale. At the very least you won't have a Final Solution.
 
To some extent, a second European conflict was inevitable. Germany as a whole was pretty pissed off at the (admittedly quite harsh) demands of the Versailles treaty, and even if Hitler doesn't show up, some other revanchist, nationalist leader will at some point. Not to mention everyone worrying about Stalin and the Soviet Union. In addition, you have an expansionist Japan in the Pacific, which is going to start to run into European colonial possessions as it tries to get the resources it wants. Of course, a World War 2 in a slightly different time period without Hitler is going to be quite different from OTL, and probably less bloody.
 
To some extent, a second European conflict was inevitable. Germany as a whole was pretty pissed off at the (admittedly quite harsh) demands of the Versailles treaty, and even if Hitler doesn't show up, some other revanchist, nationalist leader will at some point. Not to mention everyone worrying about Stalin and the Soviet Union. In addition, you have an expansionist Japan in the Pacific, which is going to start to run into European colonial possessions as it tries to get the resources it wants. Of course, a World War 2 in a slightly different time period without Hitler is going to be quite different from OTL, and probably less bloody.

while i am going to say that i agree WW II in some fashion is bound to happen, on the same breathe I am going to say that many thought WW III was inevitable as well.. (note.. as of today it still hasn't)

SO I don't think WW II had to happen.. at least not on the scale that it did in otl ..

Germany: Have the Wiemar Republic stabilize.
Germany secures the Rhur and Saar.
Unites with Austria in the mid to late 30's.
Works negotiations with Poland to ease corridor issues. This could also involve mutual security against Russian agression. (this would also allay French fears of German expansionism if they would sit at the table and work out some form of deal on Alsac - Lorraine) (doubtful .. but everything is ASB unless it happen)

With economic stable growth Germany would be a Massive economic powerhouse and Poland much more stable would be the actual front line against Stalin.

That alone would nix war in Europe.

Italy wasn't going to start any massive war alone.


Japan: tough call here. If Japan attacks European possessions she is in for a fight. If she manages to not do that then she is bled white in the monster that is China and the problem solves itself. Remember Japan did a lot of things cause Europe was preoccupied with Germany and the depression.

Russia: Everyone seems to agree that Russia would get the spotlight with out Germany. Yet i do not think Stalin is going to take on all of Western Europe by himself. USSR was very weak in this period so i do not think he would take the gamble.
 

BlondieBC

Banned
what could the world have done diffrently between 1918 and 1939 to prevent the second world war from being on the scale that it was

1) Softer ToV.

2) Enforcing existing ToV.

3) Lessen the Great Depression.

4) Cancel reparations for Germany sooner.

5) Let Austria join Germany after WW1.

6) UK or France maintains better (larger in size and funding) military.

We did not get the worst case, but we got a pretty bad case of history 1935-1945.

For worse case, go for a Nazi win, slower Nazi defeat, Nazi use WMD.
 

MSZ

Banned
Take out Hitler and it is likely not to happen. Even most of the top-ranking Nazis weren't super anxious about starting a war. They were content with it happening and would not act against it once it happened - yes. That was the sentiment most Germans held at the time. But actualy wanting, feeling a sense of absolute necessity to go to the front lines if it wasn't necessary - not so much. Few people actualy like war in the same sense people like ice cream and are willing to make an effort to get some to please themselves. They may like it the same way people like watching movies on TV - it nice when something good is on, but they will not go to a video rental to get that same movie. So if Hitler died, and either Hess or Goring took power, both of them would most likely want to bask in the glory and prestige of being leaders than doing something that might jeopardize their position.

As for a non-Nazi waged war - it's possible, but not certain. It's even less certain that it would be a World war - more likely a local conflict with some neighbour. Weimar Germany wasn't exactly fit for fighting a war, and even if it decidedto remilitarize at a sensible pace - Germany's neigbours would do the same and it would not achieve the strategic surprise advantage it had OTL. If they started too early, the 100.000 Heer would be curb stomped. If it started too late, it would be a Franco-Prussian war in reverse - the Germans attacking hoping for an easy victory, and getting owned in a few months in a two front war, as it is just as unlikely Germany could invade France or Poland without the other coming to aid as it was OTL.
 
Taking out Hitler is for all the reasons outlined above the best option. If that fails and he still comes to power, simply have the French face him down over the Rhineland. The Wehrmacht couldn't have resisted the French Army and had orders to retreat if the occupation was contested, Hitler would have been humiliated and could well have been ousted by the generals.
 
If he is shot during die during his failed putch I don't think his party will do very well without him.
 
The problem is that this requires two different sets of prevention. In Europe the easiest means to short-circuit WWII is for the Allies to decide on a brutally cynical Realpolitik integration of the USSR back into the European economy, preventing Rapallo from ever happening and forestalling the first major German end-runs around the Versailles Treaty. Meaning if Germany re-arms at all it has to start literally from scratch, which in turn means European WWII is unlikely to ever happen. Of course this also requires the kind of policies that focus more on Germany than on the reality that the USSR is run by a bunch of thugs that want to do away with everyone else's system of government and economics, but eh.

To prevent the Second Sino-Japanese War requires PODs in both Japan and China. The problem of autonomous Japanese generals won't go away regardless, but in China if either Jiang fully destroys Mao before the war starts by somehow averting the problem of his warlord coalition acting up at just the wrong time or what have you, or alternately Mao decides to rely on an approach where the war is 80% talking and 20% fighting, meaning both sides are relatively intact, both of these might actually inflict on Japan a sharp enough defeat that the general war in Asia that happened in the 1940s never happens even with the autonomous generals factor, as a sufficient defeat might discredit the Kwangtung Army and nip its rise in the bud. Now, what this does to the Imperial Navy is a different question.
 
WWII was one of the more preventable wars

1. The U.S. doesn't turn isolationist
2. France and England keep their alliance with Russia
3.The Depression isn't as deep or as long
4. The disarmament portions of the treaty of versailles are enforced
5. No back-room deal putting Hitler in power
6. France sends a few thousand troops to the Rhineland in 1936
 
World War II happens, but it doesn't happen at the same period of time, and is named differently.

The League of Nations was broken, and even if it worked, and all ethnic groups lived within their respective nations, there would be a world war.

There is simply too much inequality within the international system at the time. Germany had few colonies. Britain and France were dominating the world with their closed spheres of influence and markets.

The only way there could be equality if if the international system was fair, and there was a massive decolonization effort.

Which would cause probably as much bloodshed as the second world war.
 
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