USSR Backs out of Molotov Ribbentrop 39'

Say negotiations between Ribbentrop and Molotov fail to produce an actual agreement, and Ribbentrop heads to back Berlin with nothing but his hands in his pockets

Would Hitler still gamble on invading Poland without an official OK from Stalin.

Would the entire war be averted?

If he did invade, could Poland be better defended?
 
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This will give even Hitler pause, but I think that if the USSR and the Western democracies continue to have frosty relations, and if Hitler can otherwise convince himself that the USSR will stay on the sidelines if he invades, he will invade. Even then, I expect that the invasion would be delayed.
 
Hitler of 1939 was still more then competent enough to know if he gets his army stuck overextended in Poland with the Red Army on one side and the British and French Army on the other both ready to take advantage of the situation he is screwed.

He wasn't that demented in 1939.
 
We have had a very recent thread on this at soc.history.what-if: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/soc.history.what-if/c3B3l9pMb30

As I note in that thread, there is a big difference between (1) "what if a Franco-British-Soviet alliance could have been arrived at" and (2) "what if no Molotov-Ribbentrop pact"--i.e., Stalin simply stays out. (1) very likely could have deterred Hitler, or assured his defeat (or overthrow) if he decided to go ahead with war. Whether (2) would deter Hitler is more questionable.
 

Sabot Cat

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If Hitler pretty much does what he did OTL, without the economic resources from the USSR, Nazi Germany capitulates by the end of 1941 because their army doesn't have the supplies necessary to continue waging the war.
 
Hitler probably attacks Poland anyways, since he didn't particularly care whether he ignited a general European war or not and was chomping at the bit to invade Poland. What happens afterwards is an interesting question.
 
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