Скачать или смотреть From Foes to Friends: The Unlikely Soviet Proposal to Join NATO (Short Animated Documentary)

Why Did the USSR Ask to Join NATO? (Short Animated Documentary)

During the Cold War, the relationship between the USSR and the Western powers was tense and filled with suspicion. The West was deeply concerned about the size of the Red Army and feared Soviet expansion into their territories. In response, the Western powers formed NATO as a defensive alliance to protect themselves from potential threats.

Unofficially, NATO was seen as an anti-Soviet club, aimed at countering the influence and power of the USSR. This perception was not lost on the Soviet leadership, who were well aware of NATO's true nature. After Stalin's death, two influential Soviet leaders, Lavrenty Beria and Vyacheslav Molotov, came up with a plan to change the dynamics of the Cold War.

Their plan involved making friends with the West by proposing the reunification of Germany as a neutral state. The USSR would give up East Germany in return for joining the new European Defense Community, which excluded non-European nations. This proposal was ultimately rejected by the Western powers, as it went against their interests and alliances.

In a surprising move, the USSR then offered to join NATO, fully expecting their application to be rejected. The Soviet leadership had two possible outcomes in mind. If NATO rejected their membership, it would expose the alliance as an anti-Soviet bloc and give the USSR the opportunity to build its own alliance. On the other hand, if NATO accepted their membership, it would force the alliance to change its character into a general European defensive alliance while keeping Germany disarmed, which was a priority for the USSR.

However, the Western powers firmly rejected the USSR's application to join NATO. They cited the non-democratic nature of the Soviet government and its occupation of Eastern European nations as reasons for their negative response. This rejection allowed the USSR to act in retaliation, leading to the formation of its own alliance, the Warsaw Pact, in 1955.

The formation of the Warsaw Pact further intensified the Cold War and solidified the division between the two opposing blocs. The USSR and its Eastern European allies now had their own collective defense alliance, mirroring NATO's structure and objectives. The Cold War continued to escalate, with both sides engaging in proxy wars and ideological battles for dominance.

In conclusion, the USSR's request to join NATO was a strategic move to either expose the alliance's anti-Soviet nature or change its character into a more neutral defensive alliance. However, the rejection of their application led to the formation of the Warsaw Pact, further escalating the tensions of the Cold War.

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