Opposing military alliances: NATO and the Warsaw Pact (7) Flashcards
What did the tension between the two superpower lead to?
The creation of two military alliances.
What did the USSR for in response to NATO?
They formed the Warsaw Treaty Organisation (Warsaw Pact)
What did the USA become concerned about, after the Berlin blockade?
They became concerned that the USSR wanted to extent communist control over Western Europe. They were aware too that the military strength of the Soviet Union was much grater than the combined strength of the armed forces of Western Europe, unless they had American support
What did the USA do in response to their concerns?
They decided to form a military alliance with its Western European allies, and commit to keeping US forces in readiness in these countries in case of Soviet attack.
Where was the headquarters of NATO?
Paris
The USA provided most of the forces and weapons for it and set up military bases in ___, ___, ___, ___ and ____.
Britain Spain Italy Greece Turkey
What did the West view NATO as?
A form of protection against Soviet expansion and the spread of communism.
What did the USSR view NATO as?
They viewed it as another attempt by the USA to increase its influence in Europe, and perhaps, to attack the Soviet Union.
Define defence alliance.
A military Pact between countries who agree to support each other in a war.
Both superpowers were determined to maintain their ____ __ _____ in Europe.
Spheres of influence
How did France Challenge US domination of Western Europe?
In 1966, President de Gaulle withdrew French forces from Nato because he wanted France to have its own Nuclear weapons programme and a more independent foreign policy.
Where did NATO headquarters move from?
From France to Brussels.
What other anti-communist links did the West form? (2)
- SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organisation) was formed in 1954. It included Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.
- CENTO (Central Treaty Organisation) was formed in the Middle East in 1955, It included pro-Western states such as Iran, Irag, Pakistan and Turkey.
What was the immediate reason to create the Warsaw Pact of 1955?
When the West allowed West Germany to join NATO in 1955. The West feared that this could lead to the growth of militarism in Germany once again.
As part of the Warsaw Pact agreement, Soviet ___ remained in most Warsaw Pact countries.
Troops
What did the West see the Warsaw Pact as?
A means by which the Soviet Union could maintain its control over Eastern Europe
The USSR experienced problem when Warsaw Pact members later threatened to ___, as __ did in 1956.
Withdraw
Hungary
Explain the Czechoslovakia situation.
The USSR used its own army to crush the uprising there and it also used soldiers from other Warsaw Pact countries to regain control of Czechoslovakia in 1968, when the Czech people rose up against Soviet domination.
What did the government announce after suppressing the revolt in Czechoslovakia?
The Brezhnev Doctrine, named after the Soviet leader at the time.
What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?
The Brezhnev Doctrine was a Soviet foreign policy outlined in 1968 which called for the use of Warsaw Pact (but Russian-dominated) troops to intervene in any Eastern Bloc nation which was seen to compromise communist rule and Soviet domination.
The competition between the superpowers was not confined to ____ control and ____ alliances.
Political
Military
What also played a major part in competition between the powers?
Technology and science also played an important role, especially in the production of weapons.
Which superpower had developed technology to produce nuclear weapons at the beginning of the Cold War?
At the beginning of the Cold War, only the USA had developed the technology to produce nuclear weapons, which gave it a clear advantage. But within four years the USSR had caught up. A deadly arms race developed and by the 1960s, both sides had enough weapons to destroy each other many times over.
What is Mutually Assured Destruction?
A U.S. doctrine of reciprocal deterrence resting on the U.S. and Soviet Union each being able to inflict unacceptable damage on the other in retaliation for a nuclear attack.
