Northern Eurasia 1955: Warsaw Pact

After the death of Stalin in 1953, a thaw in relations between East and West allowed for the end of the occupations of Germany and Austria. However when West Germany was accepted into NATO, the Soviets retaliated by forming their own alliance: the Warsaw Pact.

Main Events

5 Mar 1953 Death of Stalin

Joseph Stalin dies at his residence in Kuntsevo, near Moscow in wikipedia

19 Feb 1954 Crimea transferred to Ukraine

Soviet Union transfers Crimean Oblast from Russian SFSR to Ukrainian SSR in wikipedia

9 May 1955 West Germany joins NATO

West Germany joins NATO in wikipedia

14 May 1955 Warsaw Pact

The Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania signed the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation, and Mutual Assistance—later known as the Warsaw Pact—in Warsaw, Poland. The pact was created in reaction to the integration of West Germany into NATO. in wikipedia

27 Jul 1955 Austrian State Treaty

Allied occupation of Austria ends in wikipedia

21 Sep 1955 Soviet occupation of East Germany ends

Soviet occupation of East Germany ends in wikipedia