Rival alliances lock in the split

G2 Full History - syllabus K227, 2027

What this lesson teaches

  • I can examine how Cold War tensions showed up in Europe, such as in Berlin and the rival alliances.

    Syllabus K227, The Cold War, Learning Outcomes. Examine how Cold War tensions were manifested in Europe.

Make a guess

NATO was formed in 1949. When do you think the Soviet bloc formed its own military alliance?

  1. In 1949, at the same moment as NATO.
  2. Not until 1968, when Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia.
  3. In 1955, after West Germany joined NATO.
Show the answer

In 1955, after West Germany joined NATO.

The Warsaw Pact answered West Germany's entry into NATO. Europe was already divided; the alliances locked the split in.

NATO in 1949 and the Warsaw Pact in 1955 tied countries to opposing sides and made Europe's division last.

NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was formed in 1949. Members included the USA, Canada and Western European states. Its key idea was collective defence: an attack on one member counts as an attack on all. Western Europe wanted the USA to stay committed. The USSR saw NATO as a hostile group near its borders.

West Germany joined NATO in 1955. The USSR and its allies then formed the Warsaw Pact. The division already existed. The alliances made it harder to undo.

Deterrence means stopping an attack by making it too costly. An alliance can deter an enemy. But it can also make that enemy feel surrounded and build up its own forces. So defensive aims did not always lower tension.

NATO, 1949
Western alliance based on collective defence.
Warsaw Pact, 1955
Soviet-led alliance formed after West Germany joined NATO.
Deterrence
Preventing attack by making it too costly.

Real examples to use

NATO, 4 April 1949

Twelve states signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington. Article 5 made an attack on one an attack on all.

West Germany joins, 9 May 1955

Four days after becoming fully sovereign, West Germany joined NATO.

Warsaw Pact, 14 May 1955

Five days later the USSR and seven Eastern European states formed their own alliance.

Worked example: Reassuring one side, alarming the other

Explain two effects of a promise of mutual defence.

  1. Members feel safer, since an attacker would face several countries.
  2. The rival sees a threat and strengthens its own alliance.
  3. Each side feels safer, but tension between them grows.

Watch out for this

The Warsaw Pact began Europe's division in 1955.

Europe was already divided by the late 1940s. The Warsaw Pact made the split more lasting.

Check your understanding

What is collective defence?

  1. An attack on one member counts as an attack on all.
  2. A shared promise by members to cut their weapons and settle disputes peacefully.
  3. Each member builds up its own army so it can defend its own borders.
Show the answer

An attack on one member counts as an attack on all.

Yes. It is the core idea of NATO.

Sources and context

Background reading for this chapter.

  • National Archives: Truman Doctrine

    Paraphrase of President Harry S. Truman's address to Congress, 12 March 1947; US National Archives transcript.

  • George C. Marshall Foundation: Harvard speech

    Paraphrase of Secretary of State George C. Marshall's Harvard speech, 5 June 1947; transcript held by the George C. Marshall Foundation.

  • Novikov telegram, University of Oregon primary-text transcription

    Paraphrase of Nikolai Novikov's telegram from Washington to the Soviet leadership, 27 September 1946, opening sections; English text hosted by the University of Oregon.

  • George C. Marshall Foundation: Harvard speech

    An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a Soviet magazine cartoon of late 1947, after the USSR refused Marshall aid and made its Eastern European allies refuse it too. It is not a copy of a real cartoon.

  • Truman addresses Congress, March 1947

    Extract from President Harry Truman's address to a joint session of Congress, 12 March 1947, asking for aid for Greece and Turkey (the Truman Doctrine). A US government document in the public domain; text from the Avalon Project.

  • the British Foreign Secretary reports Molotov's warning, July 1947

    Extract from British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin's report of the final meeting of the British, French and Soviet foreign ministers in Paris on the Marshall Plan, 2 July 1947, sent to the US Secretary of State through the US Ambassador in London, 3 July 1947. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, volume III, document 180. A US government publication in the public domain.

  • the Cominform declaration, October 1947

    Extract from a telegram from the US Charge d'Affaires in Moscow, Elbridge Durbrow, to the Secretary of State, 6 October 1947, quoting the declaration issued when the Soviet Union and other communist parties set up the Cominform. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, volume IV, document 412. A US government document in the public domain.

  • the North Atlantic Treaty, April 1949

    Extract from Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington on 4 April 1949 by the USA, Canada and ten Western European states, during the Berlin Blockade. Text from the Avalon Project.

The Wise Otter

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