Introduction
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in 1949 by countries such as the U.S., Canada, and several nations in Western Europe. The main objective of the countries was to ensure mutual protection against the Soviet Union, which posed an immense threat to other nations. Following World War II, a large portion of Europe was destroyed in ways that are impossible to imagine today. The war killed million of Europeans, half of whom were civilians. The consequences of the war were catastrophic, with an endless number of cities in ruins, millions of people homeless, and millions of children left orphans. As a result, the aim of NATO was to ensure protection and prevent aggressors from starting conflicts again.
Prevention of the Soviet Union’s Expansion
While it is often considered that NATO was formed to protect nations from the Soviet Union, there were also other deeper reasons for such a coalition. In truth, the establishment of NATO was part of a larger strategy. The reasons include prevention of the expansion of the Soviet Union; prevention of the resurgence of nationalist militarism in the European region with the help of a powerful North American presence in Europe; and encouragement of European political cooperation. A sequence of events two years after the end of World War II made Western European nations concerned about their territorial and governmental safety. As a result, the U.S. had to get increasingly involved in the affairs of European nations. The continued military conflict in Greece, as well as instability in Turkey, prompted U.S. president Harry S. Truman to declare that the U.S. would contribute economically and militarily to both states1.
At this time, the United States was ready to help any country that was facing subjection. The Communist party, assisted by the Soviet Union, was posing a serious threat to national leaders throughout Europe (Office of the Historian). A Soviet-backed revolution in Czechoslovakia culminated in the establishment of a communist government on the frontiers of Germany. The communists in Czechoslovakia deposed the democratically elected leader of this nation in 1948, with clandestine support from the USSR (Office of the Historian). Consequently, the hunger for power and the expansion of the Soviet Union became a concern for many nations, especially after the horrifying experience of World War II.
Prevention of the Resurgence of Nationalist Militarism
Furthermore, another reason for NATO’s establishment is the prevention of further incidences of nationalist militarism. For instance, elections in Italy were in the spotlight, as the communist party achieved huge support from Italian citizens (Office of the Historian). Moreover, concerns were also raised by incidents and blockades in Germany. The invasion and occupation of Germany following the war has long been debated. However, in 1948, the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, decided to test the strength and resilience of the West by imposing a blockade on West Berlin (Nato). Then, it was under the protection of the United States, Britain, and France, and the US and British, but it was alongside communist-controlled East Germany (Nato). The given conflict pushed the U.S. and the USSR to the verge of war, but a major airlift to replenish the resources of the city for the period of the embargo managed to save the two countries from going to war 2. The incidents of insurrections and conflicts made American authorities extremely cautious of the possibility of further challenges in Western regions, which necessitated addressing the security problems. To counteract such a potential course of events, the Truman Administration explored establishing a European-American coalition that would guarantee the Western European nations the protection that could be provided by the United States.
Encouragement of Political Cooperation
Lastly, constant violations and threats from nationalist militarist groups and the Soviet Union spurred countries to unite in order to seek protection from other members. The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in 1949 as an outcome of the intense negotiations concerning national security (Office of the Historian). While at first, there were hesitations toward the treaty, the mentioned incidents forced countries to unite in the face of danger. The United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom pledged in the treaty to view an assault on a country as a strike against every member of the alliance3. Consequently, in the case of conflicts and threats, all countries were expected to unite and defend the assaulted nation. This mutual protection agreement was legally applicable solely to assaults on members that happened in Europe or North America. Unfortunately for the colonial counties, the agreement was not extended to include their protection.
Conclusion
Hence, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which was founded in 1949 by countries in West Europe and North America, had to serve several objectives. The first reason why the alliance was formed is the prevention of Soviet Union expansion since the country was seeking more dominance and power. The second reason was to prevent the insurrection of nationalist militarist groups. Lastly, the mentioned reasons led the countries to form a coalition, where the concept was to protect a member in case they were attacked. As a result, the main idea of NATO is the protection of member nations and the prevention of military conflicts.
References
NATO. “A Short History of NATO.” NATO.
Office of the Historian. “North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 1949.” U.S. Department of State.
Sayle, Timothy Andrews. 2019. Enduring alliance: a history of NATO and the postwar global order. Cornell University Press.
Footnotes
- Sayle, Timothy Andrews. Enduring alliance: a history of NATO and the postwar global order (Cornell University Press, 2019), 22.
- NATO. “A Short History of NATO.” NATO. Web.
- Office of the Historian. “North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 1949.” U.S. Department of State. Web.