This may or may not be a REALLY GOOD IDEA™ but what if France pushed for, and successfully obtained the separation of the Rhineland as a protectorate during Versailles? A potential PoD is maybe Hughes winning the US elections in 1916 and the Republicans under Lodge still carry the senate, so with the US more or less backing French demands the UK's pleas to keep a balance of power in Europe fall on deaf ears. Such a move would probably entail significantly fewer reparations, as Germany loses a significant part of its industrial base.
I would assume the most natural course of action by France would be to create a reasonably independent Rhineland, probably including the Saar, that is economically tied to France. It seems reasonable there would be at least symbolic French and potentially Belgian garrisons.
Would desire for reunification by the populace prove to be too much to contain? Or could France successfully prop up a (at least reasonably) stable Rhenish government to the point where any reunification movement is weak enough to be quashed? Or does France's inevitable political quagmire lead to a loss of will to hold the region altogether?
Creating a Rhenish protectorate would lead to many butterflies, the most obvious one being prevention of aggressive German foreign policy unless France withdraws from said protectorate. How would this effect the actions of the UK or USSR?
Of course, the assumption here is that Germany would take it lying down - would they keep fighting when presented such a treaty even given their hopeless military situation? Could Germany "win" in the sense that France/US has to sacrifice so much for control over the Rhineland that they give up?
I would assume the most natural course of action by France would be to create a reasonably independent Rhineland, probably including the Saar, that is economically tied to France. It seems reasonable there would be at least symbolic French and potentially Belgian garrisons.
Would desire for reunification by the populace prove to be too much to contain? Or could France successfully prop up a (at least reasonably) stable Rhenish government to the point where any reunification movement is weak enough to be quashed? Or does France's inevitable political quagmire lead to a loss of will to hold the region altogether?
Creating a Rhenish protectorate would lead to many butterflies, the most obvious one being prevention of aggressive German foreign policy unless France withdraws from said protectorate. How would this effect the actions of the UK or USSR?
Of course, the assumption here is that Germany would take it lying down - would they keep fighting when presented such a treaty even given their hopeless military situation? Could Germany "win" in the sense that France/US has to sacrifice so much for control over the Rhineland that they give up?