Mutual defence alliance between capitalist sympathetic countries in the northern Atlantic
- Established to defend Western Europe from communist expansion (USSR’s military was
superior to Europe’s military without American assistance)
- Bypassed the United Nations as decisions were always a stalemate (USA and USSR would
veto each other’s suggestions)
- Agreed that if one country in the alliance was attacked they would all defend one another
- Countries included Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and America (among
other smaller, less influential countries)
Headquarters were set up in Paris (1949 - 1966) because it was the Supreme Headquarters of the
Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE)
- President Eisenhower was the first commander
- France pulled out of NATO in 1966, so the headquarters was moved to Brussels, Belgium
- It was funded and supplied by the USA with a small standing army and nuclear capabilities
A South-East Asian Treaty Organisation (SEATO) was formed in 1954 and a Central Treaty
Organisation (CENTO) was formed in 1959
Problems with NATO
- When West Germany joined in 1955, it increased tensions between East and West (USSR
feared German rearmament as NATO was a military alliance)
- France did not support USA domination and left the alliance
- A standing army was unnecessary in the nuclear age
- Greece and Turkey warred, yet both of them were NATO members (ie: infighting)
- Confidence was lost in the US when they lost the Vietnam War
- The communist party was gaining popularity in France and Italy (both NATO members)
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