The countries that were involved in the Cold War were divided in the allies of the United States and the allies of the USSR, being in total more than twenty.
The Cold War was the rivalry that arose between the United States of America and the Soviet Union after the Second World War .
It was a struggle of powers, beliefs and ideologies. There were no armed clashes, hence the name"cold"war.
Although they had been allies in the war and opposed Nazism, their ideological differences always existed.
The United States was a capitalist, democratic society, based on freedom of choice, and individualism.
In contrast, the Soviet Union was based on communism, a dictatorial government and the concept that mutual help.
What countries participated in the Cold War?
Behind these ideological differences, different countries joined, through Alliances.
A- United States Allies
NATO: 1949
1- Great Britain
England feared that the Soviets would establish the dominance of Eastern Europe when the communist parties began to win the elections in these weak democracies.
2- France
With the aftermath of war in its own territory, and in the face of the Soviet threat and the flourishing of communism, France became a founding member of NATO.
3- Belgium
Despite being occupied by Nazi Germany, Belgium retained all its factories and industries intact and recovered quickly. They were always propellers of an economic union.
4- Luxembourg
With a small military force, during the Cold War its main industry was steel, but financial services remained its main source of income.
5- Netherlands
The royal family and the government, exiled, returned and resumed the administration of the country. They received economic aid from the United States through the Marshall Plan.
6- Canada
Immediately after World War II, it joined several international defense agreements, including NATO inclined to keep the peace.
7- Denmark
He abandoned his policy of neutrality, which he had adopted since 1864, when he joined NATO.
8- Italy
It had suffered great division with forces allied to the West and fascists allied to Germany. It became a republic after a referendum that caused even more division.
9- Norway
Neutrality and the British guarantee had failed to protect Norway from the somewhat reluctant Germans, joining NATO in 1949.
10- Greece
In 1952, the winner of the election, Papagos, focused on economic recovery and improvement of international security by joining NATO.
11- Turkey
By joining NATO, it extended the boundaries of the allies with the Eastern bloc, and added more than one million men to its forces.
12- West Germany
Under the new terms, the allies stationed troops in West Germany for the defense of NATO.
B- Allies of the USSR
COVENANT OF WARSAW: 1955
1- Poland
Soviet forces expelled the Germans from Poland in 1944-45 and a communist government was established by the Soviet Union.
2- East Germany
It adopted a socialist republic and grew the rivalry between both Germanies.
3- Albania
Having suffered pressure from the communist guerrillas, in late 1944, the country declared itself the People's Republic of Albania
4- Bulgaria
Although they withdrew from the war in 1944, they continued to be occupied by Soviet troops, which established a coalition government.
5- Czechoslovakia
It emerged from World War II within the Russian sphere of influence. Prague was liberated by the Red Army in May 1945. A communist government was established.
6- Hungary
During the war it was an ally of Germany and when it ended it fell under Soviet rule.
7- Romania
He was allied with Germany but in the middle of the war, after a coup, he changed sides and joined the Soviets that occupied the country at the end of the war.
References
- Editorial. (2013). Which Countries were involved?. 09/29/2017, Royal Air Force Museum Website: www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org
- Editorial. (2012). What Countries Were Involved In The Cold War? . 09/29/2017, from History Rocket Website: historyrocket.com
- J. Llewellyn et al. (2015). Cold War alliances. 29/09/217, of Alpha History Website: alphahistory.com
- Editors Encyclopædia Britannica. (2012). Cold War. 29/09/2017, of Encyclopædia Britannica Website: www.britannica.com
- Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). Causes of the Cold War Summary & Analysis . Retrieved September 29, 2017, from www.shmoop.com