Conflict over Germany -> the formation of NATO

Question 1

what had the Berlin Blockade increased (in terms of military) ?

Answer 1

The Berlin Blockade had increased the feeling of military insecurity in northern, western and southern Europe and there was a pressure for a common military force to defend the country

Question 2

what had the Berlin crisis illustrated for the West?

Answer 2

The Berlin Crisis had illustrated the need for a more coordinated approach by the West in order to prepare for the possibility of Soviet aggression

Question 3

why was NATO formed?

Answer 3

Partly as a result of the blockade, Western European nations wanted to invite the Americans into Europe, to help them militarily defend Europe from what they felt was Soviet expansionism

Question 4

when did the USA join the nation of the Brussels Treaty and what did they create?

Answer 4

4th April 1949 and they created an organisation called the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Question 5

what was NATO?

Answer 5

• a military alliance involving the USA and the Western European nations
• a defensive organisation to protect the West and its interests.

Question 6

what did NATO allow for the USA?

Answer 6

The organisation allowed the American military full access to bases in the states which had become NATO members

Question 7

what did NATO ensure for the USA?

Answer 7

• it was a means for reassuring Western European states in the face of possible Soviet military aggression
• it gave the USA a regional defence organisation that would complement containment and in which the USA was a key player

Question 8

who were part of NATO?

Answer 8

As well as the Brussels Treaty countries (UK, France, Belenux), Italy, Denmark, Portugal and Canada became members of NATO

Question 9

what was NATO important for?

Answer 9

• Like the Brussels Treaty before it, NATO was important to forming a Western bloc crystalised through a military alliance
• Unlike the Brussels Treaty, NATO fully represented the Western bloc, as it included both the USA and European countries

Question 10

what did NATO specify about its members?

Answer 10

• NATO specified that an armed attack against any NATO member in Europe or North America would be considered an attack against them all
• Consequently, they agreed that if an armed attack occurred, each of them, exercising individual or collective self-defence, would assist the member being attacked, taking any action deemed necessary, including the armed forces to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area

Question 11

what did the USA becoming part of NATO represent?

Answer 11

• NATO was important in creating a united, dedicated Western bloc, because previously, the USA would not dedicate itself to any military alliances
• because of the Cold War, the USA becoming part of NATO represented the abandonment of the USA’s historic position of no entangling alliances (isolationism)

Question 12

what did General Hastings Ismay say about the function of NATO?

Answer 12

“The purpose of NATO is to keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down”

Question 13

what did Stalin view the creation of NATO as?

Answer 13

Stalin viewed the creation of NATO as a deliberately provocative action, but he was able to enhance the capability of the Soviet Union by breaking the US nuclear monopoly.

Question 14

what did the Soviet Union do for the first time in August 1949?

Answer 14

• In August 1949 the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb earlier than the West had expected.
• Despite this increase in Soviet power, the Berlin Crisis and the formation of NATO had taken any initiative in Cold War relations away from the USSR.

Question 15

what is an important fact about NATO and what does it signify?

Answer 15

No military operations were conducted by NATO during the Cold War
- NATO was primarily a political defence system rather than a military organisation that could undermine long-term objectives for Europe

Question 16

what did Article 1 of the agreement which defined the military parameters outline?

Answer 16

‘to settle any international disputes…by peaceful means’

Question 17

what did Article 2 of the agreement which defined the military parameters outline?

Answer 17

‘The Parties will contribute toward the further development of peaceful and friendly international relations…They will seek to eliminate conflict’

Question 18

what did Article 5 of the agreement which defined the military parameters outline?

Answer 18

‘The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against all’

Question 19

who was Alexander Panyushkin?

Answer 19

the Soviet ambassador to the United States

Question 20

how did Alexander Panyushkin sum up the Soviet objections to NATO in 1949?

Answer 20

• The Soviet objections to NATO were summed up in 1949 by Alexander Panyushkin
• He argued that NATO was an aggressive organisation designed to pressurise states into complying with the interests of Britain, the USA and their allies
• The USSR emphasised its lack of intent to attack any state in Europe

Question 21

had the Cold War started by the time NATO was in place?

Answer 21

It was clear that by the time NATO had been created the Cold War was in place
- from this point international relations between East and the West entered a new phase of hostility
- the creation of NATO further highlighted this consolidation of the USA’s influence in post-war Western Europe
- By 1949, these developments had led to a clear commitment to the long term future of Europe by the USA
- Germany became a lasting point of East-West confrontation as a consequence of this

Question 22

what symbol was Berlin seen as?

Answer 22

• those who saw the importance of Berlin as a symbol of Western resistance to communism won
• the city became an island of resistance to communism
• and a symbol of Western determination to prevent the spread of communism as a political force
• the West proceeded to make West Berlin a capitalist showpiece, pouring lots of funding into it

Question 23

what did the Berlin Crisis give West Germans?

Answer 23

the crisis gave West Germans confidence in American support and led opinion in the West to become more sympathetic to Germans only three years after Germans destroyed most of Europe during WWII
-> important psychological development in the Cold War in Europe

Question 24

what had Germany now become (crafted by the Americans) ?

Answer 24

Germany was now integrated into a distinctly capitalist, Western bloc
-> “Who controls Germany, controls Europe,” confirming Lenin’s fears

Question 25

what did the capitalist Germany now mean for communism in Western Europe?

Answer 25

the adoption of communism in Western Europe was less likely, as the Blockade had significantly damaged Stalin’s reputation and consequently the reputation of local communist parties in Western Europe linked to the USSR

Question 26

what was the significance of the Berlin crisis?

Answer 26

• Stalin was forced to concede that the Blockade had failed, which was embarrassing for the Soviet Union and humiliating for him personally
• Germany was formally divided:
  -> 23 May 1949: Federal Republic of Germany (W.G)
  -> Oct 1949: German Democratic Republic (E.G)
• The USA had agreed to guarantee the security of Western Europe with the creation of NATO in April 1949
• It demonstrated that the West was willing to stand up to the pressure exerted by the USSR in a peaceful manner
• neither side was willing to escalate the conflict and risk a nuclear war

Question 27

what was the significance of the Berlin crisis for tensions between the East and West?

Answer 27

• The Berlin Crisis of 1948-9 marked the first major flashpoint of the Cold War.
• Relations between the USA and the USSR, former allies against Nazi Germany, reached such a low position of distrust and suspicion that it became really difficult to have any meaningful dialogue, let alone any agreement.
• Conflict and tension were to remain constant features of East-West relations for another forty years with important consequences for Europe and the rest of the world.