NATO, the Warsaw Pact, and the Arms Race

The formation of two rival military alliances — NATO and the Warsaw Pact — and the development of ever more destructive nuclear weapons defined the Cold War in the 1950s. This lesson explores the creation of these alliances and the terrifying logic of the nuclear arms race.

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The Formation of NATO (April 1949)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was established on 4 April 1949 in Washington, D.C. It was a direct response to the Berlin Blockade and Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe.

Key Features of NATO

• A collective security alliance — an attack on one member was considered an attack on all (Article 5).
• Original members included the USA, Britain, France, Canada, and eight other Western nations.
• West Germany joined NATO in 1955, which was a major provocation to the Soviet Union.