Download Handout #1: Creation of two blocs: bipolarization of Europe (1948

Handout #1: Creation of two blocs: bipolarization of Europe (1948-1949)
Theme 3 World Powers and International Tensions Since 1918
PART 1: the pathway to becoming a world power: the United States
Handout #1: Creation of two blocs: bipolarization of Europe (19481949)
From July 1947, the Western block is organized: economically and military. In the same time,
creation of a socialist block, lead by the USSR and Stalin.
=> Definition of block.
Bloc: A group of countries which belong to the same economic and military organization. They are linked
by a similar ideology and the common recognition of a leader.
a) Military and political organization for the western block
March 1948: signature of the Brussels Pact between Britain, France, Netherlands, Belgium, and
Luxembourg = collective defense alliance. Mutual assistance in case of soviet attacks (Prague coup
d’état by the communist in Czechoslovakia in February-march 1948)
But Berlin Blockade (June 1948- May 1949) = huge tensions between the Allies and the Russians.
Csq = will to strengthen the Brussels treaty by adding other European countries and the two main
industrial countries: USA and Canada
In 1949 the U.S. and Canada agreed to join their European allies in an enlarged alliance called
the Atlantic Alliance => huge change in the US foreign policy (being part of an alliance during peace
time!!!)
1949: signature of the North Atlantic Treaty by 12 countries: USA, Canada, UK, Fr, It, Belg, Lux,
Netherlands, Portugal, Island, Norway, Denmark.
Main goal of the Treaty = defensive treaty to take care collectively of the security of its
members. With references to the UNO charter as main goal: welfare, international justice, freedom of
people.
The North Atlantic Treaty created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Intergovernmental military alliance created to defend Western Europe against a possible
Soviet invasion.
The NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, and the organization constitutes a system
of collective defense whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any
external party.
Admission of Greece and Turkey in 1952
Admission of West Germany (GDR created 1949: The German Democratic Republic) in 1955
led to the Soviet Union's creation of the opposing Warsaw Treaty Organization, or Warsaw Pact.
Since NATO ground forces were smaller than those of the Warsaw Pact, the balance of power was
maintained by superior weaponry, including intermediate-range nuclear weapon
France withdrew from military participation in 1966.
Countries= USA, Canada, Belgium, Norway, France, Island, Italy, UK in 1949 + Greece and Turkey in
1952 and Western Germany in 1954.
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Handout #1: Creation of two blocs: bipolarization of Europe (1948-1949)
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a formal military alliance. It gave a very clear
message to Stalin and to Moscow after his failure in the Balkans and in Berlin: the United States would
fight to defend Western Europe. Will of Westerners to stop the USSR expansion in Europe (policy
of containment)
Ultimately it would lead to war in Korea.
+ Signature by the USA of other military alliances: REGIONAL SECURITY PACTS in order to
avoid the spreading of communism by creating a bulwark (rampart, fortification) of states prowesterners around the USSR with collective security agreements.
Very intense period of treaty making by the United States during the Presidency of Dwight D.
Eisenhower, mainly through the efforts of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles: signature of alliances
with 42 separate nations: “Pactomania”

1951: Washington Treaty with Japan
 1951: ANZUS= Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty: against a new threat of
Japan then against spreading of communism in Asia
 1954: SEATO: Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) signed in Bangkok to bloc
communism in Southeast Asia. Included Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines,
France, USA and UK. SEATO was dissolved on June 30, 1977.
Main reason of the creation of this pact = fear of Australia of a further spread of 'monolithic'
communism (as it was known at the time). In 1954 the French finally withdrew from Indo-China and
North Vietnam became a communist regime. There had also been further unrest in Malaya and
Indonesia. And the Korean War had shown that China was willing to provide armed support for other
communist regimes.
 1955: The Central Treaty Organization also referred to as CENTO, original name was Middle
East Treaty Organization, also known as the Baghdad Pact
It was adopted in 1955 by its member states: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Britain to create a
bulwark (= rampart, fortification) to contain the Soviet Union (USSR) by having a line of strong states
along the USSR's southwestern frontier. The pact's headquarters were in Baghdad.
The CENTO is generally viewed as one of the least successful of the Cold War alliances:
On 1958, the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown in a military coup. The new government
withdrew from the Baghdad Pact, opened diplomatic relations with Soviet Union and adopted a
non-aligned stance; Iraq quit the organization shortly thereafter. The organization dropped the name
'Baghdad Pact' in favor of 'CENTO' at that time.
CENTO did little to prevent the expansion of Soviet influence to non-member states in the
area => Failure of containment in this area. The Soviets 'leap-frogged' the member states, establishing
close military and political relationships with governments in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, the People's
Democratic Republic of Yemen, Somalia, and Libya.
Indeed, by 1970, the U.S.S.R. had deployed over 20,000 troops to Egypt, and had established
naval bases in Syria, Somalia, and P.D.R. Yemen.
It was dissolved in 1979.
=> FOR THE EASTERN BLOCK.
September 1947: Creation of the COMINFORM (political alliance) in Poland: Communist Information Bureau:
is the Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers' Parties
It was the first official forum of the international communist movement. Its members were the
Communist parties of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, and
Yugoslavia.
1949: Thanks to the Soviets Spies in the USA, Russia had been able to create the Atomic bomb in 1949.
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Handout #1: Creation of two blocs: bipolarization of Europe (1948-1949)
May 1955: The WARSAW PACT is the name commonly given to the treaty between Albania, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union, which was signed in Poland
in 1955 and was officially called 'The Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance'.
It was actually a military treaty, which bound its signatories to come to the aid of the others, should
any one of them be the victim of foreign aggression.
b) Economical organization of the western bloc
=> OEEC
The Organization for European Economic Co-operation; (OEEC) came into being on 16
April 1948. It emerged from the Marshall Plan and the Conference of Sixteen (Conference for
European Economic Co-operation), which sought to establish a permanent organization to continue
work on a joint recovery program and in particular to supervise the distribution of aid.
The headquarters of the Organization was in the Chateau de la Muette in Paris, France
The European organization adopted was a permanent organization for economic co-operation,
functioning in accordance with the following principle:
 promote co-operation between participating countries and their national production programs
for the reconstruction of Europe,
 develop intra-European trade by reducing tariffs and other barriers to the expansion of trade,
 study the feasibility of creating a customs union or free trade area,
 study multi-lateralization of payments, and
 achieve conditions for better utilization of labor.
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