North Atlantic Treaty Organization Year: 1949 What it was: military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. With headquarters in Brussels, Belgium,[3] the organization established a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. Cause:Caused by the Treaty of Brussels agreement in Belgium in 1948. This treaty established a military alliance, later to become the Western European Union. Said to be the precursor of NATO agreement Result: The creation of NATO necessitated the standardization of military technology and unified strategy, through Command, Control and Communications centres (aka C4ISTAR). Countries Involved: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Britain, US, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Iceland The United Nations Year: 1945 What it was: an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. It was formed to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between nations and to provide a platform for dialogue. Cause: The idea for the UN was espoused in declarations signed at the wartime Allied conferences in Moscow, Cairo, and Tehran in 1943. From August to October 1944, representatives of France, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union met to elaborate the plans at the Dumbarton Oaks Estate in Washington, D.C. Those and later talks produced proposals outlining the purposes of the organization, its membership and organs, and arrangements to maintain international peace and security and international economic and social cooperation. Result: It helped to preserve peace in Iran and Kashmir, and helped to create the new jewish state of Isreal. It helped to bring beace to Korea, by pushing the communist north Korea back over the 38th parallel. Countries involved: The major five were Britain, France, China, The Soviet Union, and the United States. The International Monetary Fund Year: 1944-1945 What it Was: an international organization that oversees the global financial system by following the macroeconomic policies of its member countries, in particular those with an impact on exchange rates and the balance of payments. It also offers financial and technical assistance to its members, making it an international lender of last resort. Cause: caused by the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference. Wanted international economic cooperation Result: Founded the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development(World Bank) to promote economic growth in war-ravaged and underdeveloped countries. Countries Involved: All UN member states
The National Security Council Memorandum Number 68 Year:1950 What it Was: It was a docment signed by Harry Truman that advised America to spend extra money to build up supplies from defense spending. Cause: caused by the Soviet invasion of south Korea. Result: solved Truman's problem from attack from the right after the 'reds in the beds' scare and the Alger Hiss case. Countries involved: The US and the Soviet Union The Truman Doctrine Year:1947 What it was: stated that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling under Soviet control. Countries involved: The US and the Soviet Union, Greece, and Turkey Cause: caused by the communist domino effect of the countries in eastern Europe during the Cold War. Result: ended tripartism in government(governments that included communists) The Marshall Plan Year:1947 What it was: The Marshall Plan (from its enactment, officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was the primary plan of the United States for rebuilding and creating a stronger foundation for the allied countries of Europe, and repelling communism after World War II. Countries Involved: the US and the ‘western democratic powers’ Cause: casued by the destruction in WWII. Result: By the time the plan had come to completion, the economy of every participant state, with the exception of Germany, had grown well past pre-war levels. Over the next two decades, many regions of Western Europe would enjoy unprecedented growth and prosperity. The Marshall Plan has also long been seen as one of the first elements of European integration, as it erased tariff trade barriers and set up institutions to coordinate the economy on a continental level. Massive Retaliation Year: 1954 What it was: Massive retaliation was a term coined by Eisenhower's Secretary of State John Foster Dulles in a speech on January 12, 1954.Dulles stated that the U.S. would respond to military provocation "at places and with means of our own choosing." This was interpreted to mean that the U.S. could respond to any foreign challenge with nuclear weapons. Countries involved: the US and the Soviet Union Cause: The doctrine of massive retaliation was based on the West's increasing fear at the perceived imbalance of power in conventional forces, and the corresponding inability to defend itself or prevail in conventional conflicts. Introduction of aircrafts like the Convair B-36 and eventually with nuclear triads being established,
Result: It was said to have no practical effects, because everyday foreign issues could not be dealt with by nuclear action. It was too hard to make credible. The Berlin Blockade Year:1948-1949 What it was: one of the first major crises of the new Cold War. It began when the Soviets blocked railroad and street access by the three Western powers (the Americans, British, and French) to the Western-occupied sectors of Berlin. Countries involved: The US, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union Cause:caused by the difference in opinion during the Potsdam Conference between the Allied powers and the Soviet Union. Result: led to the famed Berlin airlift, when the Allied powers brought food and supplies to the people being held captive in Berlin. The Containment Doctrine Year:1947 What it was: Kennan argued that the primary goal of the United States should be to prevent the spread of communism to non-communist nations; that is, to "contain" communism within its borders. Countries involved: The US and the Soviet Union Cause:caused by the communist ‘domino effect’ Result:led to the creation of the NSC-68