2nd Pd- NATO information

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance (mutual defense alliance) between Western Europe and the US formed in April 1949. 

Original members of NATO: US, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, and Iceland. If any of these nations were attacked, they all agreed to defend them.We are now intentionally promising to defend Europe.

According to the NATO website, the organization was founded for the following reasons:-deterring Soviet expansionism-forbidding the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent-encouraging European political integration

Over the course of its history, NATO troops have been deployed to various locations. The most notable for our generation is the War in Afghanistan.By 1955, NATO allowed West Germany to rearm itself (previously West Germany was denied the right to have a military) and join NATO.

The Soviet Union was gravely concerned. Thus, they formed their own mutual defense alliance called the Warsaw Pact.