A non-communist Russia reshapes the interwar order

How would a non-communist Russia change the Second World War?

It changes the interwar treaties and alliances so deeply that the historical Second World War may never take the same form.

The answer distinguishes democratic, tsarist, and other possible non-communist outcomes because each produces a different state. A Russia that avoids civil-war isolation is likely to participate in the naval treaty system, where it would demand parity with Japan. France and Italy could also resist a larger Russian allowance because Russian forces operate much closer to their own waters than Japan does. A democratic Russia might cooperate with France against German rearmament, with a joint confrontation in 1937 offered as one possibility. Poland might be more willing to assist a democratic Russia against authoritarian Germany, although that cooperation is conditional. Less forced industrialization could weaken some military capabilities, while avoiding the purges could preserve others. Changes to interwar alliances and armed forces are large enough to prevent a straightforward prediction of the historical war's day-to-day course.