What if the Abyssinian crisis broke into war?

RNG

Banned
What if the Abyssinian crisis broke into war? What if Britain and France declared war on Italy for invading Ethiopia? Would Hitler back Italy and use the war to gain land in Europe or join Britain and France in exchange for land? Who would win? What would the rest of the 20th century be like?
 
Britain and France just had to close the Suez canal to make war and/or resupplying nearly impossible.
I don't think Hitler was in condition of doing anything besides offering moral support back in 1935.

Are you talking about an invasion of the mainland or just colonies or maybe the Dodecanese?
The former seems politically and economically unlikely to say the least.
Plus, if the desired outcome was a regime change, had M fallen, he could have been replaced by communists, which I doubt would have been appreciated in London and Paris.
 
If it had erupted into war, the Royal Navy would have bombed Taranto several years earlier than OTL. IIRC the strike would have been launched from HMS Glorious.
 
It's not going to happen. As soon as the Italians realise that either France or Britain are willing to fight they will back down as a war would be unwinable for Italy and they would loose much of their overseas territory.

In 1935 Germany is only just starting to rearm and was in no position to offer any kind of aid to Italy. I wonder if Hitler would be so aggressive in his territorial demands if the British/French had showen some backbone in 1935?

This would also boost the League of Nations as an organisation as it really needed some of the major powers to be willing to step in as international peace makers in the 1930's. Might it encourage the US to join? And/or Could this improve the position of China against Japan in the mid 1930's making the war that started in 1937 less likely or at least less one sided as the League would probably offer some support to China/sanctions against Japan.
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
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Monthly Donor
It's not going to happen. As soon as the Italians realise that either France or Britain are willing to fight they will back down as a war would be unwinable for Italy and they would loose much of their overseas territory.

In 1935 Germany is only just starting to rearm and was in no position to offer any kind of aid to Italy. I wonder if Hitler would be so aggressive in his territorial demands if the British/French had showen some backbone in 1935?

This would also boost the League of Nations as an organisation as it really needed some of the major powers to be willing to step in as international peace makers in the 1930's. Might it encourage the US to join? And/or Could this improve the position of China against Japan in the mid 1930's making the war that started in 1937 less likely or at least less one sided as the League would probably offer some support to China/sanctions against Japan.

It could conceivably put off or prevent Japan from widening the China War. It probably does not, but even then the Japanese are more circumspect in their handling of western concessions. They don't dare do the Tianjin blockade or the "Strike South" into Southeast Asia.
 
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