Warsaw Pact Facts & Worksheets

Prague Spring (1968)

• The Czech people embraced this liberalisation, known as the ‘Prague Spring’. However, the USSR, wary of the potential for Dubček’s reforms to undermine Soviet control over the Eastern Bloc, decided to intervene.
• The Prague Spring was not just an internal movement in Czechoslovakia but a direct challenge to the unity of the Warsaw Pact. The Soviet Union, viewing any threat to its influence in the Eastern Bloc as a threat to the cohesion of the pact itself, could not allow the reforms in Czechoslovakia to succeed.
• To stall the ongoing ‘spring fever’ in Czechoslovakia, the USSR, with the support of other Warsaw Pact countries, invaded the country on 20–21 August 1968.
• Gustáv Husák, a hardline communist, took Dubček’s place as leader after the invasion effectively crushed the reform movement. Husák reversed Dubček’s reforms and reasserted Soviet dominance over the country.

Brezhnev Doctrine (1968)

• The Brezhnev Doctrine was introduced in response to the Hungarian Uprising and the Prague Spring. These movements, which sought greater political freedom, were seen as threats to Soviet control over the Eastern Bloc.
• The doctrine asserted the USSR’s right to intervene in its satellite states to preserve communist rule. It strictly prohibited any country from leaving the Warsaw Pact or challenging the authority of the ruling communist party. This policy marked the end of the Prague Spring and ushered in an era of repression, reinforcing Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe.
• Under Leonid Brezhnev’s leadership, the doctrine ensured that only limited independence would be granted to Soviet-aligned nations. It remained in effect until 1989, when political changes across Eastern Europe led to the collapse of communist governments and the eventual dissolution of the Warsaw Pact.

Berlin Crisis (1961)

• In 1961, the Berlin Crisis occurred when many East Germans fled to West Berlin, undermining the East German government. To stop this, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, supported by the Warsaw Pact, demanded the Western Allies leave West Berlin.
• When they refused, the Berlin Wall was built in August 1961 to prevent East Germans from escaping. The wall physically and symbolically divided East and West Berlin, with the Eastern Bloc supporting it to maintain control and stop further migration.
• Though the crisis did not escalate into war, tensions were high, especially at Checkpoint Charlie, a major border crossing. The Berlin Wall became a symbol of the Cold War divide between communism and capitalism.
• The wall separated families and created a sharp contrast between East Berlin’s oppressive regime and West Berlin’s thriving economy. The Warsaw Pact continued to support Soviet control until the late 1980s, when political changes in the Soviet Union led to the wall’s fall in 1989, marking the end of Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe.

Polish Solidarity Movement (1980s)

• In 1980, the Solidarity Movement emerged in Poland as a trade union led by Lech Wałęsa, fighting for workers’ rights and political freedom. It grew quickly, gaining millions of members.
• The government, supported by the Soviet Union and as part of the Warsaw Pact, responded by declaring martial law in 1981, banning Solidarity and arresting its leaders. Despite this, the movement continued underground.
• In 1989, the Polish government, under pressure from both internal dissent and the weakening Soviet influence, negotiated with Solidarity. This led to free elections, and Solidarity won, marking the fall of communism in Poland and diminishing Soviet control in the region.

Comparison with NATO

• The Warsaw Pact and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were rival military alliances formed during the Cold War, representing the Eastern and Western Blocs. Both were designed for collective defence, but they differed in structure, leadership and purpose.

Purpose and Formation

• NATO was formed in 1949 by the US, Canada and Western European countries to defend against Soviet expansion. The Warsaw Pact, created in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its allies, was a response to NATO, especially after West Germany joined NATO.

Leadership and Decision-Making

• NATO operated through consensus, with the US playing a leading role. The Warsaw Pact was dominated by the Soviet Union, with decisions made by Moscow, not by its member states.

Military Structure and Strategy

• NATO focused on defensive strategies to protect its members. The Warsaw Pact, while also about defence, was used by the Soviet Union to maintain control, intervening in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968) to suppress independence movements.

Expansion and Membership

• NATO expanded over time, allowing voluntary membership. The Warsaw Pact did not allow members to leave and used force to keep them under Soviet control.

Dissolution

• NATO continues to exist and has expanded since the Cold War. The Warsaw Pact dissolved in 1991 after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Decline and Dissolution

• Under Mikhail Gorbachev, who became Soviet leader in 1985, the USSR shifted away from its aggressive foreign policies. His reforms of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) allowed more freedom in Eastern Europe and signalled a move away from intervention in countries like Poland and Hungary. Gorbachev’s refusal to use force to maintain Soviet power in the region encouraged reform movements.
• The Eastern Bloc faced economic and political struggles, and many people were unhappy with their governments. In Poland, Lech Wałęsa’s Solidarity movement demanded change. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolised the collapse of communist rule in the region, leading to greater democratic reforms in countries like Hungary, Czechoslovakia and East Germany.
• As communism fell in Eastern Europe, many former Warsaw Pact members started distancing themselves from the Soviet Union. By 1 July 1991, the Warsaw Pact was officially dissolved and the Soviet Union itself collapsed in December of that year. Many of its former members later joined NATO and the European Union, moving closer to the West.