From World War to Cold War
The
end of the Second World War and the Yalta conference of 1945 saw the beginnings
of the alliances that would within a few short years, develop into NATO
and the Warsaw Pact. Stalin pressured those countries occupied by Russian
troops into installing pro-Soviet governments. Earlier in 1944, Stalin,
Churchill and Roosevelt had agreed to the Red Army liberating Eastern Europe,
save for Greece, which would be the Western Allies responsibility. It also
helped to prevent the Soviet's direct access to the Mediterranean Sea routes
upon which the British Empire relied. Despite this agreement, Churchill
was shocked when Stalin pressured Poland, Bulgaria and Rumania immediately
after the 1945 Yalta conference.
However, over the next two years the Western Allies pressure had little effect on the Soviets. Britain was in a quandary-would America, as it had after the First World War return to its policy of isolationism? If it did Britain would be forced to fall back on her 20-year alliance with the Soviet Union in the event of a German resurgence. At the time, the rest of Europe was effectively, in ruins. Once Europe settled down, the bulk of the American troops returned home. Russia returned its troops to the western front after the war with Japan and began to fortify their new empire. The now familiar picture of Europe was all but complete as massive numbers of Soviet troops faced a smaller and battle-weary Western Europe, but were held back by Stalin's fear of American nuclear reprisals. On 4th March 1947, Britain and France signed the Dunkirk Mutual Aid Treaty. Eight days later President Truman proposed aid to Greece and Turkey that was approved a little over two months later. Three months later the Marshall Plan was proposed.
On
17th March 1948, the Brussels Treaty was signed and the Western European
Union was created, the signers agreeing to come to each other's aid in
the event of an attack. On 11th June, the Vandenberg Resolution advised
the US President to seek U.S. and free world security through support of
mutual defence arrangements that operated within the UN Charter but outside
the UN Security Council and on 24th June Russia closed off Berlin and the
Berlin Airlift ensued. Between July and September 1948, the western powers began discussions for the formation and organization of a new alliance.
On 4th April 1949, the foreign ministers of 12 nations signed an alliance
in Washington, which became the birth of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The US Senate approved the treaty on 21st July and on 24th August 1949
the treaty entered into force.
On
4th April 1949, the West had put the final nail in the Soviet Union's 'divide
and conquer' policy. The articles plainly stating that an attack on any
one nation, or its representatives would be considered an attack against
them all. Article 6 of the Treaty stated:
'...An
armed attack on one or more of the parties is deemed to include an armed
attack ... on the forces, vessels, or aircraft of any of the Parties, when
in or over these territories (i.e. territories under the jurisdiction of
any of the parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer)
or any area of Europe in which occupation of any of the Parties were stationed
on the date when the treaty entered into force...'
On 4th May 1949, the fours powers occupying Berlin signed an agreement ending the Russian blockade of Berlin. The COLD WAR was on.
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