Causes of the Cold War - NATO and the Warsaw Pact

Facts about the role of NATO and the Warsaw Pact at the start of the Cold War

1. NATO a nd the Warsaw Pact

2. The Cold War 1945-1989 Throughout the Cold War, the two sides were part of military alliances known as NATO (West) and the Warsaw Pact (East).

3. The Cold War 1945-1989 After World War Two ended, it was clear that the USA and USSR were now huge rivals. Winston Churchill described an ‘Iron Curtain’ as dividing Eastern and Western Europe.

4. The Cold War 1945-1989 By the end of the 1940s, there were many events that worried countries in the West. The USSR developed their own atomic bomb and China , the world’s biggest country, became Communist.

5. The Cold War 1945-1989 The USSR had also shown signs of taking control of parts of Europe. In 1948-49 the (failed) Berlin Blockade attempted to force the Allies out of Berlin. The Soviets continued to control countries such as Poland .

6. The Cold War 1945-1989 Western European countries worried about a possible Soviet attack. The Truman Doctrine meant that the USA offered protection to countries under threat of attack. The US now took steps to formalise this.

7. The Cold War 1945-1989 In April 1949 , NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) was established. This was a military alliance where all countries were pledged to defend another if they were attacked.

8. The Cold War 1945-1989 There were originally 12 NATO members , including the USA, UK, France, Italy and Norway. These countries now had the protection of the USA and its nuclear weapons, reducing chances of Soviet invasion.

9. The Cold War 1945-1989 Through NATO, US troops were based across Western Europe, especially West Germany. The US also had air force , submarine and missile bases across Europe, including in Italy and Britain.

10. The Cold War 1945-1989 The USSR saw NATO as a threat that could be used to attack them, especially after West Germany joined in 1955 . In May 1955 they set up their own military alliance – called the Warsaw Pact .

11. The Cold War 1945-1989 Like NATO, all Warsaw Pact members had to defend the others if they were attacked. Warsaw Pact members included the USSR, Poland, Hungary, East Germany and Czechoslovakia.

12. The Cold War 1945-1989 The Warsaw Pact helped extend Soviet control of Eastern Europe. Unlike NATO, Warsaw Pact members could not choose to leave, as shown by the Soviets invasion of Hungary when they tried to do so in 1956 .