Warsaw Pact

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

North Atlantic Treaty Organization: members and partners

For Students

Wreckage of the U-2 spy plane shot down inside the Soviet Union in 1960. U-2 spy plane incident, U-2 affair, Cold War.

Comprehension Quiz: Cold War

Warsaw Pact

Q: What was Warsaw Pact formally called?

The Warsaw Pact formally was called the Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. It was established on May 14, 1955.

Q: What event prompted the creation of the Warsaw Pact?

In May 1955 West Germany joined NATO , which prompted the Soviet Union to form the Warsaw Pact alliance in central and eastern Europe the same year.

Q: Which countries were part of the Warsaw Pact?

Warsaw Pact was a treaty that established a mutual-defense organization. It was composed originally of the Soviet Union and Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. Later Albania withdrew from the pact in 1968 and East Germany withdrew in 1990.

Q: What did the Warsaw Pact do?

The Warsaw Pact provided for a unified military command and the systematic ability to strengthen the Soviet hold over the other participating countries.

Q: When did the Warsaw Pact end?

After the democratic revolutions of 1989 in eastern Europe, the Warsaw Pact became moribund and was formally declared “nonexistent” on July 1, 1991, at a final summit meeting of Warsaw Pact leaders in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Europe [1955–1991]

Also known as: Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Formally:: Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance

Date:: May 14, 1955 - July 1, 1991

Participants:: Albania; Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia; East Germany; Hungary; Poland; Romania; Soviet Union

Context:: Cold War; international relations; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Prague Spring; Warsaw Treaty Organization

See all related content

What was Warsaw Pact formally called?

What event prompted the creation of the Warsaw Pact?

Which countries were part of the Warsaw Pact?

What did the Warsaw Pact do?

When did the Warsaw Pact end?

Warsaw Pact, (May 14, 1955–July 1, 1991) treaty establishing a mutual-defense organization (Warsaw Treaty Organization) composed originally of the Soviet Union and Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. (Albania withdrew in 1968, and East Germany did so in 1990.) The treaty (which was renewed on April 26, 1985) provided for a unified military command and for the maintenance of Soviet military units on the territories of the other participating states. The immediate occasion for the Warsaw Pact was the Paris agreement among the Western powers admitting West Germany to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Warsaw Pact ...(100 of 361 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.