NATO-North Atlantic Treaty Organization
In April 1949 an alliance of independent European countries, the United States, and Canada came together with the common interest of maintaining a peaceful European environment while defending their freedoms through adequate military defense. Any member of NATO attacked or threatened by an enemy country would have the support and military resources of its fellow members.
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Why?
During World War Two, Nazis had occupied most of the European countries and it became the U.S. and U.S.S.R.'s responsibility to establish peaceful new governments. Despite many promises for a fair government with free elections most countries never received the necessary support from the two superpowers. Eastern Europe became communist before of the U.S.S.R.'s influence and western Europe became different varieties of republics; however, Germany was split in half by the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.. As tensions between the two superpowers rose the Soviets cut off Allied access to West Germany. However in 1948 the U.S., Britain, and France unleashed the Berlin Airlift and flew in over 2 million tons of supplies. The Soviets took down their blockade and began to withdraw from other countries they had occupied but not without making a few concessions before they left. They demanded oil, resources to spy on the west, they aided a communist revolution in Greece that led to a bloody civil war, and fully supported a communist coup in Czechoslovakia. Although the western nations tried to counter the Soviet threat with the Brussels Treaty, which defensively linked Britain, France, and Benelux, they were still concerned about Soviet expansion. As a consequence of Soviet threats and expansion NATO was formed to protect European nations from harmful Soviet influences.
"would create a shield against aggression and fear of aggression—a bulwark which will permit us to get on with the real business of . . . achieving a fuller and happier life for all of our citizens." |
Important Figures, Countries, and Events
The 12 countries that established NATO were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States (Greece, Turkey, and the Federal Republic of Germany joined afterwards in 1952). Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed supreme commander of the NATO military forces. NATO was responsible for consultation and formulation for plans of defense while training military forces. The first ever deployment of NATO's military forces occurred in Bosnia when they successfully sent out 60,000 peacemaking troops into combat. NATO discouraged total war by securing the peaceful relations of European countries, and providing adequate defenses to ensure no one would ever start total war again.
Impact Today
As the world evolved and changed NATO changed along with it. There are now 28 member countries and NATO is gradually moving closer to the Russian border. In 2001 after the Al-Qaeda attacks on America, NATO's number priority became Islamic terrorism. They have 135,000 troops deployed around the world however 126,000 of them are currently in Afghanistan. NATO has had to take on a variety of new roles in order to adapt to the new crises of the 21st century.