The Warsaw Pact was formed in 1955 primarily as a response to the integration of West Germany into NATO and its rearmament. The Soviet Union and its Eastern European socialist allies established the pact to create a collective defense alliance as a counterbalance to NATO and to prevent Central and Eastern Europe from being used as a military base against the Soviet Union. Additionally, the Warsaw Pact served as a tool for the Soviet Union to maintain strict control over its Eastern European satellite states and enforce its dominance in the region. The fear of a remilitarized West Germany and a strong NATO presence in Europe were key motivating factors behind the pact's formation. The pact was not only a military alliance but also reinforced the ideological and geopolitical division of Europe during the Cold War, where the Soviet Union positioned itself as the leader of the global socialist movement and justified military intervention in member states under the Brezhnev Doctrine if core socialist principles were threatened. In summary, the Warsaw Pact was formed to:
- Counter NATO's military alliance and the inclusion of West Germany in NATO.
- Prevent Western military threat to the Soviet Union through Eastern Europe.
- Consolidate Soviet control over Eastern Bloc countries.
- Serve as a collective defense mechanism among the communist states in Eastern Europe.
The original members included the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania (which withdrew later).
