It's hard to believe now, but that's how it was - not a day went by without these four ominous letters in bold: NATO.
Why sinister? Yes, because they were obsessively associated with nuclear bombs, missiles, shells and other deadly things that NATO countries were eager to bring down on peaceful cities. The same newspapers were full of cartoons and intricate photo collages.
The visuals consisted of images of terrible nuclear explosions, crazy-looking generals rushing to launch intercontinental missiles, monstrous tanks and no less monstrous robotic soldiers bristling with automatic rifles. There was a strong impression that the everyday clothes of the NATO countries are exclusively military uniforms, helmets, gas masks, and so on.
What was hidden behind this abbreviation, exciting the minds of several generations of Soviet citizens? North Atlantic Treaty Organization - OrganizationNorth Atlantic Treaty. It was created back in 1949, in the face of what was then called "growing Soviet expansion." That was the very beginning of the Cold War, which, fortunately, never turned into a "hot" one, despite the fact that both sides - the Soviet Union with its allies, and the NATO countries - took many rash and dangerous steps, and often did not disdain outright provocation. Suffice it to recall the Caribbean crisis, when the threat of nuclear war was higher than ever, the events around the Suez Canal in 1956, as well as a number of other, less dramatic, but also unpleasant events in recent history.
Initially, the Atlantic Union, as the organization is also called, included twelve states. Gradually, others were added to them, thereby strengthening the economic and military power of NATO.
Countries adjoining this organization were by no means always hostile to the Soviet Union, but were automatically included in the number of its very likely opponents, because under the terms of the treaty they were obliged to participate in hostilities, regardless of who " started first." Those who chose to remain neutral could count on the favor of the Soviet state and successfully used this circumstance for mutually beneficial economic cooperation (Finland is the most striking example).
NATO countries, especially Great Britain and the then Federal Republic of Germany, are an impressive military force, but, of course, the backboneAlliance from the day it was founded to this day remains the United States of America.
Fortunately, the times of the Cold War are over, and the very expression "NATO countries" no longer carries anything negative, terrible and terrible.
The Atlantic Alliance, although it remains primarily a military organization, is not at all interested in fomenting a world war, although it is very difficult to call it particularly peaceful … However, if humanity sooner or later gains prudence, then military blocs will themselves will die as useless! How to know…
