NATO+v.+Warsaw+Pact

 NATO vs. Warsaw Pact New military alliances were being created, however problems were also stirring up during this period: The Cold War. Two of the contradicting alliances were NATO and the Warsaw Pact. NATO was a military peacetime alliance including the United States and many more countries. The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between the Soviet Union and European Nations. This pact invasion of Western Europe was supposed to be five fronts, using Soviet forces stationed in Eastern Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. The Soviets hoped to be at the French border by the 15th day of war, taking Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the Federal Republic of Germany. This would then force those countries out of the war. Two additional fronts were then created to diminish any NATO strategic reserves in France.

__NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) __   The North Atlantic Treaty Organization  (NATO), was established under the North Atlantic Treaty on Apr. 4, 1949 by (15 nations) Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States. Greece and Turkey entered the alliance in 1952, West Germany entered in 1955, and Spain joined in 1982. In 1999 the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland joined. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined five years later, bringing the membership to 26. The treaty was aimed at protection of freedom of the North Atlantic society. If an armed attack on any member was started then an attack against all was started, the treaty provided for collective self-defense in agreement the United Nations. The treaty was also created in hopes of political, economic, and social cooperation. The organization was restructured in 1952, and has undergone later changes as well.   The North Atlantic Council was the highest level of followers for NATO and its entireties which consist of: the head of the government, ministers, and representatives. The council determines strategy and supervises the civilian and military actions. Under the council is the Military Committee, which may meet occasionally. France, however, withdrew from the Military Committee from 1966 to 1995 while remaining a member of the council. “NATO is now divided into two commands. Allied Command Operations is headed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).” SACEUR directs NATO forces and, in time of war, controls all land, sea, and air operations.      ﻿ The NATO pact consisted of fifteen Western Nations who felt threatened by the large number of Soviet Troops that were parked along the Western border. The United States felt endangered by the influence the Soviet military was starting to have on Europe. Since troops still resided in Eastern Europe with many other forces, the alliance was made, soon after the end of World War II. NATO was one of the most successful alliances ever created for the United States and other countries to join, it was a smart decision to get involved in this whole situation. The Soviets were trying to excel in the spread of communism around different nations, therefore NATO was brought about hoping to halt the Soviet influence from reaching out. Many Soviets were against the democratic ways which lead them to instilling fear upon their government, democracy. The United States had complete and utter control over any of the other nations involved with this alliance. Once all was said and done, there were two guidelines that were going to be followed weather the people were happy with it or not: maintain adequate military strength and political unity to deter agression of military or political pressure and also to a pursue a policy aimed at a relaxation of tensions between the East and West. The peacetime alliance was intertwined with the Cold War, mainly because of how it started and for what reasons. NATO was strictly against any communistic aggression that would eventually lead to European and Atlantic success. The Berlin Blockade was successful in a way that wouldn't hurt or over excel the major needs of the alliance there it was allowed to stay put. However, the United States was smart and used their trans-atlantic air forces to supply Berlin with pretty much anything they needed. The hopes of taking over the city fell rather short, but the most important and crucial goal to prevent the spreading of communism was successful. For a new twist to things, the United States thought it would be a good idea to fully commit and pursue all needs to the military alliance. There was no sense of being committed just to have your nations signature at the bottom of the agreement but to rather represent. Usually, the United States does not chose a side to help in return of them helping if ever needed, but for one reason or another, they chose to be in Western Europe. This way they could act upon the allies if ever needed be for some military backup and help. Being prepared was key, never were they traveling in pairs but more in pacts. The formation of NATO had it's positive influences on the war to say the least, however it also had a bit of a downfall at certain points. Due to the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Soviet Union created the Warsaw Pact. This was brought about to hopefully ease tensions and get everything back to before the fighting began but it seemed to have an opposite affect. Tensions were now occurring more and the United States was not liking it whatsoever. NATO has increasingly concentrated on extending security and stability throughout Europe, and on peacekeeping efforts in Europe and elsewhere.    __Warsaw Pact __   The Warsaw Pact was the Communist counteraction to NATO. This was signed in May of 1955 and is the "treaty of mutual friendship, co-operation and mutual assistance" between many nations. All of the nations involved had to come together and sign, some being: People’s Republic of Albania, the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian People’s Republic, the German Democratic, the Polish People’s Republic, the Rumanian People’s Republic, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the Czechoslovak Republic.The Warsaw Pact came to be seen as a potential militaristic threat because it showed Communistic authority. America's strive for capitalism was in great competition with the Warsaw Pact, a definite opponent. The signing of the pact became a symbol of Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe. The use of this pact was used more to keep the Soviet allies on watch rather than enforce strict decisions. After everything was settled and controlled, this alliance built and strengthened the military forces throughout the involved Eastern European nations.



 The Political Consultative Committee and the Unified Command of Pact Armed Forces ran the Warsaw Pact and all its entireties. Basically, these two groups made all of the military activities of the alliance. To make certain that Communist dominance would remain widespread, the leaders of the committees were Soviet. The Political Consultative Committee and the Unified Command of Pact Armed Forces ran the Warsaw Pact and all its entireties. Basically, these two groups made all of the military activities of the alliance. To make certain that Communist dominance would remain widespread, the leaders of the committees were Soviet. In 1989 and 1990 the Soviets power and control fell immensely due to the global Communist loss. Hungary decided that they no longer wanted to participate in the military actions included in this pact. In 1991 they officially withheld from the pact, alongside Czechoslovakia and Poland. East Germany followed their lead and also left, reuniting into one – United Germany. By the end of 1991 their were only six cotries remaining loyal to the pact. They eventually ended their alliance and the Warsaw Pact was disbanded for good. From 1988 on, the Soviets believed such a victory was possible only by the use of strategic nuclear weapons. An estimated 800 missiles were to be used, some to devastate the North-Eastern boarder.  ﻿ <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The formation of the Warsaw Pact came from the assumptions about Khrushchev’s ambition towards the Communist Party about searching for global dominance. Khrushchev considered his plans to “de-Stalinize” and justify opinions for the Soviet wealth. He wanted the iinvolved Eastern European nations to function on their own. T <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">he Treaty's conditions and agreements included “total equality, mutual noninterference in internal affairs, and respect for national sovereignty and independence.” The treaty was originally set at twenty years for the pact and another ten years following, under the understanding that no member could drop out of the alliance. In 1962, Albania stopped participating in the actions of the treaty and formally dropped out of the alliance in 1968, which was against the terms. Such revelations came as a surprise to many Westerners. While the Soviets had always stressed military operations in a chemical or nuclear warfare, in 1981 the Warsaw Pact set new rules that emphasized its need for victory. Defensive operations were now in action. Then in the later 80s, nuclear weapons suddenly reappeared as a major, if not primary, consideration in Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact increased tensions throughout many different countries during the Cold War. The Soviet Union and the United States were alliances of different sides and also were both hazardous especially towards each other. They both had ideas and way that they thought would be suit there country, however with that being said they wanted to beat each other and prove that their side was going to benefit more. This created a military threat for many. media type="youtube" key="enXg8I3XyP0" height="244" width="296" align="center"media type="youtube" key="R9YUaKynXy8" height="244" width="296" <span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Obama hailed NATO as the most successful alliance in modern history and a central pillar is strong European defense. (April 3) <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;">**Works Cited:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Hanes, Sharon. //Cold War//. 1, 2. Farmington Hills: Thomson Gale, 2004. 263-266. Print.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px;">Powaski, Ronald. //The Cold War//. 1st. New York City: Oxford University Press, 1998. 96, 101. Print.