After the Second World War, an ideological boundary divided Europe in two parts. Starting from 1948, the U.S. provided tremendous financial and political aid to war-torn Europe. The goal was simple and clear – to prevent communism from gaining a foothold in Europe on the path to recovery.

On 17 March 1948, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg signed the Brussels Treaty. The Western European Union founded as a  result aimed at ensuring close cooperation and the creation of a collective defence system that would resist the ideological, political and military expansion of the Soviet Union. In fact, the Brussels Treaty formed the basis for the collective security system of Western Europe and led to the foundation of NATO.

The history of NATO can hardly be told without reviewing the aftermath of World War II. The division of Europe into two parts in 1945 determined the fate of this continent, the Euro-Atlantic area and millions of people for almost half a century. The victory of the three allies – the USA, Great Britain and the USSR in World War II created the expectation that harmonious coexistence and stable development would become possible on the European continent. Unfortunately, it was just an illusion. Western European leaders and their allies realistically assessed the dangers emanating from the expansionist policy of the Soviet Union. It was clear that the triumphant Soviet Union intended to replace the fascist dictatorship in Europe with an equally dangerous communist dictatorship. While the countries of Western Europe fulfilled their post-war obligations regarding the reduction of military forces and the demobilization of military personnel, the Soviet Union was reluctant to fulfill these obligations and continued to maintain the total of its armed forces on the European continent.

After World War II, special security conditions were formed in Europe. The Soviet Union held an advantageous position and tried to manipulate its strategic advantage. The Soviet army, in pursuit of the retreating enemy, penetrated deep into the territory of Eastern and Central Europe, occupied the territories of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, as well as Austria and Germany and took strategic positions. In the occupied countries, the Soviet Union supported the regimes that were loyal to Moscow and shared the communist ideology. It was also clear that the intentions of the Soviet Union were not limited to the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin, wanted to spread the communist ideology and extend its sphere of influence to the Central and Western European states, namely to France, Italy and Greece, where the tendency to strengthen the political forces sympathetic to the communist ideology was evident. Then, on 5 March 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, Winston Churchill (who presented himself as the leader of the British parliamentary opposition) pointed to the impending danger and used the term “Iron Curtain” for the first time.

At the end of the 1920s, amid the efforts to restore peace on the European continent, it is important to thoroughly evaluate the timely and bold position of the United States, which is known as the deterrence doctrine. President Truman’s doctrine was intended to promote the economic development of Europe. The author of the deterrence doctrine is American diplomat George F. Kennan, who aimed to stop the territorial expansion of the Soviet Union through forceful policies and abundant economic aid from the West. This doctrine was implemented by the U.S. Secretary of State, George Marshall, whose plan is known as the “Marshall Plan”. On 2 April 1948, the U.S. Congress passed the bill on Postwar Revival of Europe to contain communism at the economic level. As a result of the Marshall Plan, sixteen European states received 13 billion dollars in aid from the USA.

Marshall Plan

While delivering a speech at Harvard University in June 1947, the U.S. Secretary of State, George Marshall, introduced a plan, which later became known as the Marshall Plan. Marshall described the extreme poverty and hopelessness that prevailed in post-World War II Europe. He then reminded the Americans of the effect the permanent destruction of Europe would have on their own economy. The plan was not directed against any ideology or state. Nevertheless, according to Stalin’s instructions, the countries of the so-called socialist camp refused to accept the U.S. aid. The Marshall Plan envisaged providing American assistance towards the reconstruction and economic revival of Europe. The European Economic Cooperation Committee was created to distribute the aid provided under the Marshall Plan to the states of Western Europe. This plan later became the programme for the revival of Europe. To determine the priorities for the recovery of the European economy after World War II, and to assist in the administration of the Marshall Plan, the European Economic Cooperation Committee was transformed into  the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC). The program continued until 1952. During this time, the aid provided for the reconstruction and economic revival of Europe amounted to 13 billion US dollars. The Marshall Plan, the doctrine announced by President Truman and the creation of the North Atlantic Alliance led the United States to become actively involved in the ongoing processes in Western Europe.

The situation escalated even further in 1947-1949. Worth noting, in this light, is the coup d’état in Czechoslovakia and the Berlin Blockade, which began in 1947. It became clear that the weakened European countries would not be able to defend themselves on their own, and the UN Charter and other existing international mechanisms could not guarantee the democratic and free development of Europe. In March 1948, five Western European states – Belgium, Great Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France – signed the “Brussels Pact”. This alliance was aimed at achieving close cooperation and the creation of a collective defence system that would resist the ideological, political and military expansion of the Soviet Union. The Brussels Pact became a prerequisite for the creation of collective security system in Western Europe and formed the basis for the establishment of NATO. The countries of the “Brussels Pact” were negotiating the creation of  a collective defence system with the United States of America and Canada, as well as with Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Norway and Portugal. Negotiations ended with the signing of the Washington Treaty (North Atlantic Treaty) on 4 April 1949. A collective security system was created, which was based on close cooperation and common values of all twelve member countries of the Alliance. North America’s entering the alliance to defend  Western Europe proved that any attempt to exert political or military pressure on Western Europe was doomed to failure. Under NATO’s defence umbrella, Western Europe and North America soon reached an unprecedentedly high level of stability and created a solid foundation for European economic cooperation and development. The North Atlantic Treaty, or the Washington Treaty – the founding document of NATO, was signed on 4 April 1949 in Washington, the capital of the United States of America. That is why it is called the Washington Treaty. The Treaty consists of 14 articles. The cornerstone of the treaty is article 5, which says that any attack on a NATO member in Europe or North America “shall be considered an attack against them all.

Turkey and Greece joined this treaty later, in 1952. The Federal Republic of Germany signed the Washington Treaty in 1955, and Spain – in 1982. In 1990, as a result of German reunification, the German Democratic Republic, as an integral part of Germany, joined the North Atlantic Alliance. Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic became members of NATO in 1999. Seven European countries: Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Estonia joined NATO in 2004. Albania and Croatia, which were invited to NATO at the Bucharest summit in April 2008, officially became members of the Alliance on 1 April 2009. Montenegro officially became the 29th member of the Alliance in 2017. North Macedonia became the 30th member of the Alliance in 2020, after a historic agreement between Athens and Skopje was signed and the name issue was resolved. NATO’s Open Door Policy and enlargement process is still continuing, which is confirmed by the fact that NATO’s closest partners Finland and Sweden were invited to join the Alliance in 2022. public discussion of the issue and the corresponding parliamentary procedures.  The North Atlantic Alliance was founded on the basis of a Treaty between Member States entered into freely by each of them after public debate and due parliamentary process.  The Washington Treaty commits each member country to sharing the responsibilities in relation to threats to collective security. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has undergone many changes throughout its history to be able to rise up to new challenges, and still continues to engage in concerted efforts to prevent conflicts and ensure peace. NATO is the most effective military-political organization in modern history, which can effectively protect the borders of its members – liberal democracies – and the democratic values of these countries. During its 70 year-history, NATO has ensured an unprecedentedly high level of stability in Western Europe and North America under its defence umbrella.