Who
The original members of NATO were the US, the UK, Portugal, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Iceland, France, Denmark, Canada, and Belgium. After some time, other countries joined the alliance, and they included Albania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary the Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, Turkey, Greece, and Montenegro ( Telegraph Reporters, 2016) .
What
NATO was fundamental to preventing an attack by Soviet Union on European nations. The Soviet Union was still occupying some nations in Europe after the Second World War, especially in Eastern and Western Europe. The Soviet Union threatened the stability of most parts of Europe through the spread of communism, and the US wanted to play a role in re-building the region. Consequently, NATO was solely created for security reasons.
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When
Also referred to as the Washington Treaty, NATO was formed on April 4, 1949, which was only a short time after the end of the Second World War (The US Office of the Historian, 2018).
Where
Dean Acheson, the secretary of state by then, signed the Treaty in the watch of the then President Harry Truman and his Vice President Alben Barkley in Washington.
Significance
The military alliance was entered at the time of the Cold War when the US was attempting to prevent the influence of the Soviet Union through communism. Consequently, Article V of the treaty stated that a Soviet attack on any of the member countries would be considered an attack on all members ( Telegraph Reporters, 2016) . In this case, each of the countries would be required to retaliate by attacking the USSR singly or in partnership with other members. America managed to suppress the possibilities of Soviet influence in most parts of Europe, which in part contributed to the restoration of political and economic stability. Since its formation in 1949, NATO’s mission has been a success in keeping Europe safe from attack and deter any form of aggression.
References
Telegraph Reporters. (2016). What is NATO, what is Article 5 and how does it keep Europe safe? The Telegraph. Retrieved October 24, 2018 from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/what-is-nato-and-how-does-it-keep-europe-safe/
The US Office of the Historian (2018). North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 1949. Retrieved October 22, 2018 from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/nato
