The Creation of NATO

Preface
The events that occurred in Czechoslovakia in 1948 made the nations of Western Europe increasingly concerned about their safety concerning the Soviet Union. To protect themselves, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Brussels on March 17 1948. This treaty stated that the signed nations would pool together their military resources in the event of Soviet aggression.

Meanwhile, in the United States, it was being discovered that communism was a threat to their safety, and to stay safe, they needed the help of European nations to act as a preventative measure; this could be done by creating alliances with Western Europe. So, on June 11 1948, the Vandenberg Resolution was passed; this resolutions called for the United States to align itself with other nations in Europe for reasons of both national and regional security, it would also benefit their economy.

NATO
On April 4 1949, the signatories of the Treaty of Brussels, along with Iceland, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, the United States, and Canada signed the North Atlantic Treaty Oraganization. This intercontinental military alliance stated that an attack against any of the signatories would be interpereted as an attack against all signatories.

This new military pact put pressure on Stalin, for he was now faced with an allied Western Europe and North America, so he would later create a military alliance to counter the West's called the Warsaw Pact, consisting of the Soviet Union and its satellite nations.