4.1 NATO and the Warsaw Pact Flashcards
(19 cards)
Who signed the treaty of communism, when and why
- Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg
- 1948
- aimed to stop the spread of communism and support each other in matters of defence and security
What happened after the Berlin Blockade
- other European countries wanted to join thee treaty, there were calls to include the usa and Canada
- Truman certain that working with Western Europeans would help stop the spread of communism, so he agreed to support the North Atlantic Treaty
How many countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty and when?
- 12 countries
- April 1949
When was west German allowed to join nato and what did the ussr do in response to this
- 1955
- west was disregarding soviet concerts of keeping Germany weak
- Khrushchev was not yet secure in his position and could not afford to look weak
- an Eastern European alliance was made to rival nato
What did the Soviets see nato as
More western aggression
What was the name of the Eastern European rival to nato
Warsaw pact
What was the aim of nato
Aimed to provide collective security for its members; an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all
How did members work together in NATO
Members worked together on defence strategy and military action would be jointly organised
How did the USA contribute to nato
The USA provided funds to improve the militaries of European members; US military bases were built and US troops stationed in Europe
What were the military capabilities of NATO
- Approximately 50 divisions (of which 25 were
active) - after the Second World War, European armies had shrunk but it was agreed in February 1982 to dramatically increase the strength of
NATO forces - Nuclear weapons held by USA, Britain
(from 1952) and France (from 1960)
Who were the 12 original members of nato
USA, Canada, Britain, France, Denmark, Italy,
Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Luxembourg and Iceland; West Germany joined in 1955
Who were the 8 members of nato
the USSR, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania,
East Germany, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia
Why was the Warsaw pact formed
As a response to nato and west German rearmament
Who held the power in the Warsaw pact
Presented as a collective security organisation like NATO but in reality the power was held in Moscow
What did the Warsaw pact do
Established a joint command for all armed forces, controlled by Moscow
What were the capabilities of the Warsaw pact
- Approximately 5.5 million men in 125
divisions, 35,000 tanks, and at least 10,000 aircraft - Nuclear weapons held by the ussr
When was khrushchev’s secret speech and where
- 25th February 1956
- at the twentieth communist party congress
What did the secret speech do
- criticised Stalin and his brutality
- suggested a more open and peaceful approach: peaceful coexistence
- it was officially secret but the intention was always that the message would be spread
How did people react to the secret speech
- some welcomed the new approach
- those who owed their position to Stalin rejected the idea that there could be a more peaceful way to achieve communism
- khrushchev’s speech had a destabilising effect on the Warsaw pact
