Nato And The Warsaw Pact Flashcards
Why was nato created in October 1948?
• America and its allies believed that Stalin and communism were becoming
an even greater threat. Stalin had attempted to gain control of Berlin with the Berlin Blockade. This was not successful but showed his intention of spreading communism further in Europe.
• However, also in 1948, the Soviet Union were successful in taking over Czechoslovakia. They put a communist government in place there. The western powers believed they needed to protect themselves from the communist, Soviet threat.
What was nato?
• For this reason, the USA persuaded other western powers that they needed a formal military alliance to protect themselves from the Soviet Union.
• In April 1949, the USA, France, Britain and 9 other western countries joined together in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – N.A.T.O.. They agreed that if any of the NATO members were attacked, all of the other members would help.
The consequences of nato?
• The creation of NATO meant that American troops would continue to be present in Europe after the Second World War. American troops could be called upon at short notice to help European countries fight against the communist threat.
The further turning point for nato
• By 1955, it was agreed by all members of NATO that West Germany could join the organisation as it was then strong enough to offer help if needed elsewhere. This led to the Soviet Union creating their own military alliance in response.
The Soviet perspective on nato
• Stalin simply saw this as more evidence of America trying to show their strength and influence in Europe. The Soviet Union would see the NATO organisation as a threat towards communism.
Why was the Warsaw pact created in 1955?
• The Soviet Union believed by this point that they needed to respond to the creation of NATO and form their own military alliance. In 1955, NATO made the big step of allowing newly created West Germany to be a member.
• The Soviet Union were unhappy with this as it would mean American and other European troops being stationed on the border of the Soviet Union – to close for comfort! Within a week of West Germany joining NATO, The Soviet Union created their own version of the military alliance between communist countries. This was known as The Warsaw Pact .
What was the Warsaw pact?
• It was created by the Soviet Union in May 1955. Its members were the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and East Germany.
• All of these countries became known as the ‘Eastern Bloc’. These countries promised to help each other if another member was attacked.
The consequences of the Warsaw pact?
• It was now clear that Europe was divided into two. One half was part of the NATO military alliance and worked together to stop the spread of communism and strengthen capitalism and democracy. The other half was under the control of the Warsaw Pact and worked to expand the influence of communism.
• There was now a real fear that Europe could end up in war so soon after the end of World War Two. Having a political set of differences was one worry, but now each side essentially had an army, it created even more fear of another war.
The perspective of the western powers
Other NATO powers saw the creation of the Warsaw Pact as another threat. Now there were two opposing military alliances in Europe and any small disagreement could lead to war between the two sides.
