Cold War Briefing

What was the Warsaw Pact?

The Warsaw Pact was a collective defense treaty, created by the Soviet Union and seven Central and Eastern Europe countries:  Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania (Albania withdrew from the treaty in 1968).

Emblem of the Warsaw Pact

Formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance. The Warsaw Pact was created on May 14th 1955, shortly after the accession of West Germany to the Western Alliance NATO. The Warsaw Pact was referred to as the Eastern bloc, while NATO and it members represented the Western bloc.

Source: NATO Archives

NATO and the Warsaw Pact were ideologically different , over time both sides built up their own defenses and strategic planning in the case of a war in Europe. Warsaw Pact like NATO would have military exercise to show their commitment and military strength.

Decades later, the 1980s would see a huge change in the world, the Soviet Union running into troubles and change in politics in Europe. November 1989 the would watched as the Berlin wall fall and shortly after the communist governments of East Germany, Poland, Romania and other eastern European countries to fall and reform.

Then after nearly 37 years on February 25 1991, The Warsaw Pact was declared Defuct and on July 1st 1991,Vaclav Havel President of Czechoslovakia formally declared the alliance dissolved.