What's the best deal France can make and take at Versailles?

[DracoLazarus]

If it doesn't stem the tide, then an Entente Italy would still be a considerable asset for any WW2. With enemies on all sides and no relevant allies on the continent to speak of, Nazi Germany's chances of victory are much more clearly close to zero from the outset. Whether that would stop Hitler is doubtful, but maybe those initial years would not see all that many blitzkrieg victories. Or, maybe, the Entente stays firm with regards to Czechoslovakia - and Hitler is really discouraged. Weird, but not excluded. How Nazi Germany would trudge on without starting a world war is a difficult question, but France would be spared its defeat, occupation and destructions.

Entente Italy stops Germany at the Anschluss. When Hitler tried in 1934, Mussolini wasn't on board, so he failed. When he tried in 1938, the relations were much better, so he succeeded. Simple as.

 

[Salvador79]

Entente Italy stops Germany at the Anschluss. When Hitler tried in 1934, Mussolini wasn't on board, so he failed. When he tried in 1938, the relations were much better, so he succeeded. Simple as.

Not even sure you'd get the kind of regime in Austria where a Schuschnigg lets the Nazis march in unopposed.
But, yeah, that would be a moment in which a democratic Italy would feel threatened.

 

[jsb]

To keep Germany contained, France needs either an alliance with the United States or an alliance with Russia. It would be helpful if Britain joined either alliance, but an alliance with Britain alone proved not to be enough in 1940.

Would it not be perfectly sufficient if GB actually committed to provide an army for European use in 20/early 30s....or just supported France over Rhineland? A 36-38 war is perfectly winnable for GB/Fr with only minor help from smaller nations?

Telling the Czech nationalists the Czechosolovakia was off the table, and pushing for a country consisting of Austria, Bohemia-Moravia, and Slovenia, possibly including Croatia, some German territory, and some of the territory that went to Italy, would have been a good approach, since it would have created a counter-weight to Germany without actually recreating Austria-Hungary.

Can you do that without troops on the ground?

 

[kham_coc]

Entente Italy stops Germany at the Anschluss.

The problem with that is that the Austrians wanted union, and as a CB its terrible.
Entente Italy is as unlikely to fight back as France was over the rhenland.