NATO VS. WARSAW PACT
Military Alliances
The idea of communists expansion led the United States and eleven Western European nations to join together and form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In response to this alliance, the Soviet Union and other Communists nations in Eastern Europe formed an alliance, the Warsaw Pact. These alliances created the political division in Europe, where the nations in Europe were a part of either the NATO alliance or the Warsaw pact. The North Atlantic Treaty was a security alliance. If communists were to attack one of the NATO nations, the other nations were also affected and had to help. The nations that joined the NATO alliance surrounded the Soviet Union which resulted in the formation of the Warsaw Pact.
Proxy Wars
Proxy Wars
As a result of these alliances, future conflicts turned into proxy wars. An example of a proxy war was the Korean war which involved the two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States. The Korean war was a result of trying to stop the spread of communism, as the north is taken up by communists and the south is supported by the United States. The Korean war ended in a ceasefire at the 38th parallel, north of the parallel became communists and the south became a democratic nation. Due to the tension of the two superpowers, another event happened that could have started World War III, it was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962, the Soviet Union was caught in trying to put nuclear missiles on Cuba, 90 miles south of the United States. As a threat to the national security, President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade on Cuba, making sure other missiles won't go on. The crisis lasted for 13 days, fortunately no missiles were used.
As a result of these alliances, future conflicts turned into proxy wars. An example of a proxy war was the Korean war which involved the two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States. The Korean war was a result of trying to stop the spread of communism, as the north is taken up by communists and the south is supported by the United States. The Korean war ended in a ceasefire at the 38th parallel, north of the parallel became communists and the south became a democratic nation. Due to the tension of the two superpowers, another event happened that could have started World War III, it was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962, the Soviet Union was caught in trying to put nuclear missiles on Cuba, 90 miles south of the United States. As a threat to the national security, President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade on Cuba, making sure other missiles won't go on. The crisis lasted for 13 days, fortunately no missiles were used.