1. NATO and the Warsaw Pact (1945 - 1955)

2. 1945

3. 1946

4. 1946

5. 1947

6. 1947

7. Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia
1948
Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia

8. Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia
1948
Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia

9. Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia
1948
Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia

10. Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia
1948
Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia

11. 1948

12. 1948

13. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

14. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

15. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

16. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

17. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

18. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

19. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

20. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

21. June 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins

22. Tito breaks from the Soviet Union
1948
Tito breaks from the Soviet Union

23. 1949
April 4, 1949: NATO founded

24. May 23, 1949: West Germany founded

25. US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe
1949
US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe

26. US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe
1949
US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe

27. US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe
1949
US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe

28. US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe
1949
US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe

29. US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe
1949
US deploys nuclear weapons to defend Western Europe

30. 1950

31. 1950

32. 1951

33. 1951

34. Communists take over Poland
1952
Communists take over Poland

35. Communists take over Poland
1952
Communists take over Poland

36. Communists take over Poland
1952
Communists take over Poland

37. 1952

38. 1952

39. 1952

40. Greece and Turkey join NATO
1952
Greece and Turkey join NATO

41. Greece and Turkey join NATO
1952
Greece and Turkey join NATO

42. Greece and Turkey join NATO
1952
Greece and Turkey join NATO

43. Greece and Turkey join NATO
1952
Greece and Turkey join NATO

44. 1953

45. 1953

46. 1954

47. 1954

48. The Warsaw Pact is formed West Germany joins NATO
1955
The Warsaw Pact is formed
West Germany joins NATO

49. Germany after World War II
Germany was divided into 4 military zones
Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States controlled the government
Berlin was also divided among the 4

50. Yugoslavia breaks from the Soviet Union
Yugoslavia was communist
Its leader, Tito, didn’t like Stalin because he did not want the country to be controlled by the Soviet Union
Stalin stopped providing money and weapons to Yugoslavia

51. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

52. The Foundation of West Germany (1949)
May 23, 1949: The American, French, and British military zones are merged into the Federal Republic of Germany
The Allies thought that the Soviets were trying to undermine the German economy
While the Germans had their own government, the Allies kept their armies in place

53. Communists take Poland (1952)
The Soviets liberated Poland from the Nazis in 1944, and set up their own government (500,000 Soviet troops there)
After the war, a coalition government was established between the communists and the pro-US politicians
By 1952 the communists were in complete control of Poland

54. West Germany Joins NATO
The US was worried that it could not protect Western Europe from a Soviet attack if Germany was not allowed to have an army
Britain, France, and the US decided that West Germany could rebuild an army as long as they were a member of NATO

55. The Warsaw Pact is Formed
The Soviets were afraid of an American attack once West Germany built an army
They made a military alliance with the other communist countries in Europe to defend each other in case NATO attacked them