This force was designed to create a unification of Soviet forces to prevent the Western Powers from conquering the world. Ironically, the force was only used to brutalize its own members.
The Conception
Founded in May 1955, the Warsaw Pact was an alliance of Soviet States similar to NATO for democratic countries. At the peak of the Warsaw Pact, it boasted the membership of the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania (Albania withdrew in 1968). The forces of the Warsaw Pact would eventually combine tremendous offensive and defensive capabilities embodied most powerfully by massive tank and artillery formations. Positioned north to south along the border of the imaginary Iron Curtain, Warsaw Pact troops stared across at their NATO counterparts, concentrated along the ugly scar that divided Germany into East and West.
The Dissolution
By the time the pact officially shut down, it had the lost most of its members. The Warsaw pact served as a prop for the unpopular communist regime in Eastern Europe: as more and more countries abandoned the communist government format, more and more members left. The Soviet Union couldn’t handle the economic burden. Ringed by former soviet republics that demanded secession and freedom, The Warsaw Pact was dissolved in February 1991.
For more information on the end of the Warsaw Pact, visit: This day in history
This image shows the division of power between NATO, the Warsaw Pact, and those who remained neutral in the conflict. As you can see, most countries were involved.
The Warsaw Pact
This force was designed to create a unification of Soviet forces to prevent the Western Powers from conquering the world. Ironically, the force was only used to brutalize its own members.The Conception
Founded in May 1955, the Warsaw Pact was an alliance of Soviet States similar to NATO for democratic countries. At the peak of the Warsaw Pact, it boasted the membership of the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania (Albania withdrew in 1968). The forces of the Warsaw Pact would eventually combine tremendous offensive and defensive capabilities embodied most powerfully by massive tank and artillery formations. Positioned north to south along the border of the imaginary Iron Curtain, Warsaw Pact troops stared across at their NATO counterparts, concentrated along the ugly scar that divided Germany into East and West.The Dissolution
By the time the pact officially shut down, it had the lost most of its members. The Warsaw pact served as a prop for the unpopular communist regime in Eastern Europe: as more and more countries abandoned the communist government format, more and more members left. The Soviet Union couldn’t handle the economic burden. Ringed by former soviet republics that demanded secession and freedom, The Warsaw Pact was dissolved in February 1991.For more information on the end of the Warsaw Pact, visit:
This day in history
Picture found at: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/worlds/ch11/maps.htm
This image shows the division of power between NATO, the Warsaw Pact, and those who remained neutral in the conflict. As you can see, most countries were involved.
Geldern, James Von. "Warsaw Pact Dissolves." Seventeen Moments In Soviet History. National Endowment for Humanities, 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. <http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&SubjectID=1991warsaw&Year=1991&Theme=496e7465726e6174696f6e616c&navi=byTheme>.