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Activity V Europe divided – Political/Military alliances NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance
based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. NATO was seen as
being a viable military deterrent against the military might of the Soviet Union. In response to
NATO admitting the membership of West Germany, the Soviet Union was to gather all its
client states in Eastern Europe into the Warsaw Pact in May 1955. The heart of NATO beat
around the military and financial muscle of the United States. However, because the post-war
Soviet threat was perceived to be against Western Europe, the headquarters of NATO was
based in Brussels, Belgium.
The Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was the Soviet Union’s response to West Germany joining NATO in 1955
and came into being in May 1955. The Warsaw Pact, named after the meeting to create it was
held in Warsaw, was based throughout the Soviet Bloc. The treaty was the military analogue
of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), the Communist (East)
European economic community.
The Warsaw Pact, officially the ‘Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance’,
was obviously very much dominated by the Soviet Union. Soviet made tanks, aircraft and
guns were used throughout the Warsaw Pact and the military command was dominated by
decisions made in Moscow.
Neutral and Non-Aligned Countries
A neutral country in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral
towards the belligerents.
A permanently neutral country is a sovereign state which is bound by international treaty to
be neutral towards the belligerents of all future wars.
Neutralism or a "neutralist policy" is a foreign policy position wherein a state intends to
remain neutral in future wars.
Non-alignment is the implementation of neutralism by avoiding military alliances.
A sovereign state that reserves the right to become a belligerent if attacked by a party to the
war is in a condition of armed neutrality.
Military alliances during the Cold War Neutral and non-­‐aligned countries are white Key NATO = NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION Military alliance formed in April 1949 against the military power of the SOVIET UNION Important Members: USA Canada Belgium Denmark France Greece Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal Turkey United Kingdom West Germany Spain (in 1975) WARSAW PACT = TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP, COOPERATION AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE Military alliance formed in May 1955 as a military response to WEST GERMANY’S integration to NATO Pact Members: Soviet Union Albania (until 1961) Bulgaria Czechoslovakia East Germany Hungary Poland Romania NEUTRAL AND NON-­ALIGNED EUROPEAN COUNTRIES Austria Finland Ireland Spain (until 1975) Sweden Switzerland Yugoslavia