NATO Essay

DBQ Outline Intro Paragraph · Background/Context: The Cold War was a state of political tension after World War II between the Eastern bloc countries and Western bloc countries. Cold War took a significant place in between 1947 to 1991 which the two most powerful countries, United States of America and Soviet Union, were competing with each other over spreading the rule and showing off their arms without killing people. After the World War II, people in different countries started to think about who bears more responsibility for starting the Cold War, United States or USSR. · Three-point thesis: The United States of America bears more responsibility for starting the Cold War because it built up military powers and prepared for

”(Doc. 2) The formation of NATO was meant to protect its participants but its formation caused the Warsaw pact which helped the USSR gain even more power and become a bigger threat. The U.S. wanted the Soviet Union to give up occupation of East Germany so that East and West Germany could be united. This was seen as a threat to the communist movement so the Soviet Union formed a blockade around Berlin.

Thesis: Although NATO provided assistance in containing the spread of communism, and its member countries applied economic pressure on the Soviet Union, neither NATO nor President Reagan should be solely credited with causing the fall of the Soviet Union and thus the end of the Cold War. Instead, it was a combination of the tough Reagan administration policies and NATO’s threatening military armory along with grave economic problems within the Soviet Union that ultimately brought the end to the Cold War.

In 1949, the United States signed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and other capitalist states . Through this treaty, the countries agreed to defend each

“I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” This declaration, made by former President Harry S. Truman on March 12, 1947, is part of the Truman Doctrine, and was the basis for U.S. involvement in Western Europe throughout the Cold War. Although the North Atlantic Treaty, and the resulting North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), was established during the Cold War “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down,” NATO has persisted since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. This essay will seek to examine the U.S. decision to create and participate in NATO. It will begin by providing a history of NATO and the U.S. decision to participate in NATO before considering how this decision is both an instance of continuity and change in U.S. foreign policy since former President George Washington’s Farewell Address. The essay will conclude by considering the legacy of this decision and its impact on U.S. foreign policy. While this essay will consider the period of time leading up to the formation of NATO and will briefly touch on the present day, greatest consideration will be paid to the time period immediately preceding and following the formation of NATO in 1949.

In 1949 the US formed a mutual defense alliance with Western Europe called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Truman had a hard time convincing Congress that this organization was necessary on account of American sentiment previously being avoidant of entangling alliances. The NATO charter pledged that an attack on one of the member nations constituted an attack on all of the members. Stalin’s aggressive actions at Berlin accelerated the American effort to use military means to contain communism. So the implementation of this alliance represented Truman’s willingness to disregard the tradition of neutrality. The Soviets also create an alliance called the Warsaw Pact countries that had the equivalent ambitions as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Poll of Public Opinion, Random H) Although there were many economic problems in the 1960s four additional member joined NATO around that time. There were 12 founding members of NATO. Truman proposed four things for foreign aid: the United Nations would be supported, U.S. programs would help countries economic recovery, countries that were pro freedom and anti “aggression” would be supported, and a new program was available for improvement and growth of undeveloped areas. (Document I) Additional members and current members of NATO would help the U.S. economy grow because we would be able to trade with each member.

The cold war made a significant change to Eastern Europe. After WWII the Soviet Union wanted to spread their ideologies of communism and in order for them to do that, they

After World War II, the Eastern and Western Allies started to grow apart. The Eastern Bloc was led by the Soviet Union and promoted communism, while the Western Bloc was led by the United States and promoted capitalism, through democracy. Both wanted their country’s ideals to spread throughout the world, and at the same time, prevent the opposing superpower from taking over. In an attempt to stop the spread of communism, the United States created NATO and the Truman Doctrine, while the Soviet Union tried to stop democracy by creating the Warsaw Pact. At this point, the world was divided, and most third world countries became pawns in the fight of communism versus capitalism.

The NATO, also known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was a military alliance that was created as a response to the Soviet Union becoming a threat to the United States. They believed that this alliance would provide them with support and stability and protect them from any threats that they get from the Soviet Union. Document 4 states, "The parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in

1). On the other side was the United States who lived through Capitalism and believed in democracy in which everyone has a say in government. The United States gave everyone power and they were scared of the whole world turning to Communism. The Soviet Union and United States were two very strong countries that would start a huge nuclear war if they fought directly against each other. They used Proxy Wars to keep a nuclear war from happening. The United States was involved in NATO. “The parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or in North America shall be considered as an attack against them all” (Doc. 4). NATO was a way to have the backs of the North Atlantic area. If one place was attacked they would consider it as an attack on all of them and than they would all do whatever was

This legislation called for massive economic aid to Europe and believed that the benefits outweigh the costs. The theory was that by stabilizing Western Europe, the United States would reap the benefits of economic prosperity and increased American influence overseas. Similarly, President Truman also established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949 to further the union of Western countries. This legislature was not only important because it bound twelve nations under an alliance, but it was also the first time the United States pledged to go to war if another country was attacked. The idea in establishing this was that by creating a unified front, it would dishearten the Soviets from continuing their expansion.

In an article by George Kennan, he stated that we “must continue to regard the Soviet Union as a rival, not a partner in the political arena” (Doc 2). He continued, implying the impossibility of peaceful coexistence with the USSR (Doc 2). This impossibility of peaceful coexistence hinted at the eventual conflict that would come in the future. The United States wanted to charter against the Soviets. In the creation of NATO, they drew up a treaty stating, “The parties to this Treaty...are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their people, founded on the principle of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law” (Doc 3). The Allied countries had used ideas from their faults of World War II with Germany. They learned to never appease an aggressive country, as it would lead to further aggressiveness. In response to NATO, the Soviet Union drew up The Warsaw Pact, and forced it upon the Allies. This showed the taking of sides, but if either side would make a move, war will break out (Doc 4). In relation to future events, this formation of the pact instigated further tension as both countries felt the need to assert their

Permanent foreign alliances are an issue sometimes because if your country is at peace and your alliance is at war you have to help them fight and then your country gets involved in the war. Washington once said “it is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world” that means if your country is not at war no best

While “Washington is pushing hard to help Ukraine, enthusiasm seems weaker among NATO’s other members” (“Rumsfeld Praises Ukraine for NATO Membership Effort”). At the Vilnius, Lithuania conference in October 2003, less than half of the member countries were represented.