Term paper on NATO Established

NATO Established (1949)

term paper RESOURCE GUIDE

In June 1948 the Soviet Union blocked U.S. , British, and French road access to their zones in Western Berlin . The United States retaliated with a successful airlift that lasted until the Soviets ended their obstruction in May the following year. Before that, however, the Truman administration called for an alliance to resist possible Soviet aggression. The result was the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), signed into agreement on April 4, 1949, by twelve nations. This agreement, which Congress ratified shortly after, stipulated that an attack on any one of its members would be construed as an attack on all.
Suggestions for Term Papers

1. Analyze the Berlin airlift crisis.

2. Did the creation of NATO needlessly heighten cold war tensions, or was it a necessary response to Soviet aggression?

3. Discuss public opposition to the creation of NATO.

4. Analyze the decision to include West Germany in NATO.

5. Discuss whether NATO has fulfilled its purpose and should be disbanded.

Suggested Sources : See entries 52 and 54 for related items.

REFERENCE SOURCES

NATO: An Annotated Bibliography . Phil Williams. New Brunswick , NJ : Transaction, 1994. Detailed annotations about NATO from its beginning to date. Part of the publisher’s International Organizations series.

GENERAL SOURCES

Grathwol, Robert P. American Forces in Berlin : Cold War Outpost, 1945–1994 . Upland , PA : Diane Publishing, 1995. Description of the American military and its fifty-year stint in Berlin .

Heuser, Beatrice. NATO, Britain , France and the FRG: Nuclear Strategies and Forces for Europe , 1949–2000 . New York : St. Martin ‘s, 1997. Brief histories of nuclear strategies of NATO members, including Britain , France , and West Germany , from the beginning of the cold war.

Kaplan, Lawrence S. NATO and the United States : The Enduring Alliance . Upd. ed. New York : Twayne, 1994. Informative account of NATO and its close association with U.S. foreign policy.

Kay, Sean. NATO and the Future of European Security . Lanham , MD : Rowman&Littlefield, 1998. Recent examination of NATO’s history and a consideration of the future.

Papacosma, S. Victor, and Mary Ann Heiss. NATO in the Post-Cold War Era: Does It Have a Future? New York : St. Martin ‘s, 1995. Detailed examination of NATO progress and development; considers implications for the future.

SPECIALIZED SOURCES

Carpenter, Ted G., and Barbara Conry. NATO Enlargement: Illusions and Reality . Washington , DC : Cato, 1998. Examines the decision to expand NATO eastward in Europe .

Clemens, Clay. NATO and the Quest for Post–Cold War Security . New York : St. Martin ‘s, 1997. Review of NATO’s role and future after the cold war.

Davison, W. Phillips. The Berlin Blockade: A Study in Cold War Politics . (1957). Reprint. New York : Ayer, 1990. The history of Berlin from 1945 to 1990, including an excellent account of the Berlin airlift.

Giangreco, D. M. Airbridge to Berlin : The Berlin Crisis of 1948, Its Origins and Aftermath . Santa Monica , CA : Presidio Press, 1988. Detailed history of the Berlin airlift from its creation to its subsequent impact.

Haydock, Michael D. City under Siege: The Berlin Blockade and Airlift . Dulles , VA : Brassey’s, 1998. Excellent analysis of the American airlift to Berlin .

Heller, Francis, and John Gillingham. NATO: The Founding of the Atlantic Alliance and the Integration of Europe . New York : St. Martin ‘s, 1996. The development of NATO in Europe ; informative account of its creation and role on the Continent.

———, eds. The United States and the Integration of Europe . New York : St. Martin ‘s, 1992. Emphasizes the prominence of the U.S. role in supporting NATO.

Parrish, Thomas. Berlin in the Balance, 1945–1949: The Blockade, the Airlift, the First Major Battle of the Cold War . Reading , MA : AddisonWesley, 1998. Informative account of the developments and activities leading to the establishment of NATO.

Reed, John A. Germany and NATO . Washington , DC : National Defense University , 1995. Germany ‘s foreign policies as they affect the U.S. role in NATO.

Villaume, Poull. Cement of Fear: The Cold War and NATO until 1961 . Boulder , CO : Westview, 1998. The history of NATO and its role in the cold war from its inception to 1961.

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES

The Cold War . Wynnwood , PA : Schlessinger/Library Video, 1995. CDROM. Covers twentieth-century history, world events, U.S. foreign policy, and international politics between the two superpowers.

WORLD WIDE WEB

NATO—Overview . December 1996. http://www.saclant.nato.int/natoOverview.html Brief exposition of NATO, with link to the full treaty.