NATO and Warsaw Pact

• NATO:

  • North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

  • April 4th 1949

  • USA and countries in the western

  sphere of influence - Britain, France, West Germany etc.

  • Capitalist

  • members agreed an armed attack against one is an attack against them all

  • agreed to defend each

  other in attacks

  • an official military alliance against communism

  • changed relations

  • Stalin saw NATO as an ‘aggressive alliance’ - formalised the divide and further encouraged the arms race

  • it led to the Warsaw Pact
• Warsaw Pact:

  • May 14th 1955

  • USSR and countries in the eastern sphere of influence - East Germany,

  Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary etc.

  • Communist

  • a response to the formation of NATO and the re-militarisation of Germany in 1954

  • based on agreement of total equality

  • a powerful political took - more control

  • changed relations

  • added more strength to their hold and further intensified the arms race

  • both countries had an equal threat of a military alliance