What was the name of the alliance established by European communists in response to NATO?
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NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was formed in 1949 with the aim, first and foremost, of acting as a deterrent to the threat of Soviet expansion in Europe after World War II. Beyond that, the United States saw it as a tool to prevent the resurgence of nationalist tendencies in Europe and to foster political integration on the continent. Show
Its origins, however, actually go back to 1947, when the United Kingdom and France signed the Treaty of Dunkirk as an alliance to counter the eventuality of a German attack in the aftermath of the war. The original 12 founding members of the political and military alliance are: the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal.  Security collectiveAt its core, the organization acts as a collective security alliance with the aim of providing mutual defense through military and political means if a member state is threatened by an external country. This cornerstone is laid out in article 5 of the charter, the collective defense clause: "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area." Article 5 has been invoked once, by the United States, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Integrity of borders a foundation of peace in Europe: Olaf ScholzTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A bulwark against Soviet RussiaThe Soviet Union responded to NATO by creating its own military alliance with seven other Eastern European communist states in 1955, dubbed the Warsaw Pact. But the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the ensuing collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, paved the way for a new post-Cold War security order in Europe. Freed from their Soviet shackles, a number of former Warsaw Pact countries became NATO members. Visegrad Group members Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic joined in 1999. Five years later, in 2004, NATO admitted the so-called Vilnius Group, made up of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Albania and Croatia joined in 2009. The most recent additions were Montenegro in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2020, bringing the total number of member states to 30. Three countries are currently categorized as "aspiring members": Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine. Open-door policyAgainst the backdrop of the standoff between Russia and Ukraine at their common border, the latter's ambition to join the alliance has again gathered pace. At NATO's Bucharest summit in 2008, the alliance formally welcomed both Ukraine and Georgia's membership aspirations, but stopped short of granting membership action plans. For Russia, the notion of its former Soviet satellite Ukraine joining NATO is a red line. NATO's so-called open door policy, as outlined in article 10 of the treaty, allows any European country that can enhance and contribute "to the security of the North Atlantic area" to join. "Countries aspiring for NATO membership are also expected to meet certain political, economic and military goals in order to ensure that they will become contributors to Alliance security as well as beneficiaries of it," it says on NATO's site. US military reinforcements arrive in EuropeTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Martin Kuebler
The Soviet Union and seven of its European satellites sign a treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states. The Warsaw Pact, so named because the treaty was signed in Warsaw, included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria as members. The
treaty called on the member states to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command under Marshal Ivan S. Konev of the Soviet Union. The introduction to the treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact indicated the reason for its existence. This revolved around “Western Germany, which is being remilitarized, and her inclusion in the North Atlantic bloc, which increases the danger of a new war and creates a threat to the national security of
peace-loving states.” This passage referred to the decision by the United States and the other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on May 9, 1955 to make West Germany a member of NATO and allow that nation to remilitarize. The Soviets obviously saw this as a direct threat and responded with the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact remained intact until 1991. Albania was
expelled in 1962 because, believing that Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev was deviating too much from strict Marxist orthodoxy, the country turned to communist China for aid and trade. In 1990, East Germany left the Pact and reunited with West Germany; the reunified Germany then became a member of NATO. The rise of non-communist governments in other eastern bloc nations, such as Poland and
Czechoslovakia, throughout 1990 and 1991 marked an effective end of the power of the Warsaw Pact. In March 1991, the military alliance component of the pact was dissolved and in July 1991, the last meeting of the political consultative body took place. READ MORE: Soviet Union: Stalin, Cold War & Collapse On May 14, 1948, in Tel Aviv, Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion proclaims the State of Israel, establishing the first Jewish state in 2,000 years. Ben-Gurion became Israel’s first premier. In the distance, the rumble of guns could be heard from fighting that broke out
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defined by the Article of Confederation. Although the convention was originally supposed to begin on ...read more What was the name of the alliance in response to NATO?The Warsaw Pact embodied what was referred to as the Eastern bloc, while NATO and its member countries represented the Western bloc. NATO and the Warsaw Pact were ideologically opposed and, over time, built up their own defences starting an arms race that lasted throughout the Cold War.
Was the Warsaw Pact communist?Warsaw Pact: The Communist Alliance
The formation of the Warsaw Pact was in some ways a response to the creation of NATO, although it did not occur until six years after the Western alliance came into being. It was more directly inspired by the rearming of West Germany and its admission into NATO in 1955.
What was the communist response to NATO quizlet?In response to the formation of NATO, the Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955. This pact united the Soviet Union with most of the Eastern European nations (including Albania, Romania, Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria).
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