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this consensus does not prevent powerful countries from continuing to use alliance strategies, but its spiritual core and basic ideas are completely different from those before world war i. after the americans retreated to the other side of the ocean, france, as the victorious country, became the "overlord" of the european continent. however, the temporary overlord knew that his vitality was severely weakened, so he devoted himself to weaving a network of alliances to extend his power across the continent in order to surround and block germany's resurgence. the french were determined to remain proactive in their various alliances, taking advantage of their strength while being able to withdraw at any time in times of danger. when hitler came to power, diplomats from various countries became busy and established a layered network of alliances around france: the balkan entente, the little entente, the franco-soviet alliance, the czech-soviet alliance, and the outermost was the league of nations. this alliance network formed the european collective security system in the 1920s and 1930s. its key pillar was that big countries (especially france and the united kingdom) guaranteed to prevent and deter aggression in peacetime and to effectively support small countries in wartime. through collective action led by great powers, this alliance system appears capable of shaping a new era.

but the french's cleverness ruined all this. during this period, almost every diplomatic decision-maker in france was keen on making promises and intrigues. the alliance treaties they signed were very attractive, but upon closer inspection, you will find that they were all slippery. all the countries in the alliance are making excuses for each other. on the surface, they are lively, but in fact, each country has its own plan.

two major events in 1936 easily disintegrated this fragile alliance. the first was italy's successful invasion of ethiopia, which proved that small countries' confidence in collective security was illusory. subsequently, hitler marched into the undefended rhineland on march 7, 1936, but france did not respond resolutely and promptly. the siegfried line, which the germans quickly built there, was of great strategic significance: the siegfried line cut off the strategic connection between france and the allies. france's inaction caused its alliance system to begin to collapse. turkey, greece, yugoslavia, and bulgaria dictatorships and far-right parties in various countries gained power and moved towards germany, while mussolini and hitler, two dictators who had always been hostile, reconciled. in october of that year, the rome-berlin axis was formally formed, but france fell into isolation and passivity. just three years later, world war ii broke out and france surrendered.