Volte-face

The expression comes through French, from Italian voltafaccia and Portuguese volte face, composed of volta (turn) and faccia (face).

Volte-faces in diplomacy

• The Diplomatic Revolution.
• The Soviet-German Pact.
• Another famous volte-face in diplomacy is the successful manoeuver of Italy in September of 1943, when the Italian Army capitulated immediately after the Allied invasion of Sicily. Italy switched sides from one of the aggressor Axis Powers and was allowed to co-operate with the Allies with notable benefits (Britannica: "The Allies' invasion of Italy and the Italian volte-face, 1943")

Volte-faces in business

• A famous volte-face within business was when Coca-Cola announced New Coke, which was to replace their main product with one containing a different formula. After public backlash, Coca-Cola pulled New Coke and returned to the original.