NATO

The United States of America, Canada, and Western European countries established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for the mutual defense and protection against the Soviet Union in 1949. The signatories agreed to defend any of the members when attacked. It took months to negotiate the language of the treaty for three reasons.

1. The ability to declare war rests solely with the U.S. Congress.
2. The U.S. wanted to make military spending contingent on regional coordination.
3. The U.S. wanted to expand the scope of membership beyond West Europe. It continues to be in effect.

Primary Source: NATO Treaty (1949)
Office of the Historian: NATO

Warsaw Pact

In response to West Germany’s independence and admission to NATO, the countries under the influence of the Soviet Union established their own mutual defense alliance in 1955. The treaty guaranteed non-interference in one another’s internal affairs, but the Soviet Union controlled the decision-making processes. It officially disbanded in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Primary Sources: The Warsaw Security Pact (1955)
Office of the Historian: Warsaw Pact
Primary Sources at the Wilson Center Digital Archive: Warsaw Pact

Knowledge Check

Use the following ungraded, self-check questions to confirm your learning for this module.