Regulations on the participants of the Warsaw Pact. Warsaw Pact: prerequisites and goals of signing

In the year of our country’s anniversary in the Great Patriotic War, we remember the post-war pages of history. Today is a completely appropriate case: exactly 60 years ago, the Soviet military bloc appeared on the world map, which today can be called “red NATO”, which is replaced today by the CSTO - Treaty Organization Collective Security. The Warsaw Pact Organization (abbreviated as Warsaw Treaty Organization) is what we will talk about today.

Before we get to the story of our first military bloc, let's look at some history. So, the year is 1945. Europe is recovering after 6 years of war. There are ruins, piles of garbage and corpses of both soldiers and civilians all around. This picture could be observed in post-war Germany and Austria. Women work on the streets instead of men. They clear away rubble and transport construction sludge. Some cannot withstand heavy physical labor and fall exhausted on the asphalt. Later, in historiography they would be called Trümmerfrauen, whose memory would later be immortalized. Europe did not recover on its own. Britain, having formally won by then, no longer plays the role of first fiddle in the world. The empire collapsed, and in Europe the interests of two new powers collided: the USSR and the USA. London sided with Washington as expected, and the USSR pursued its own independent foreign policy. All Western Europe, as after the First World War, was driven into the financial cabala of the United States: the “Dawes Plan” replaced the “Marshall Plan”. The Americans also offered their assistance to the Soviet Union, but the authorities of the Soviet Kremlin refused it, which caused the indignation of the Americans. Soviet diplomat V. Molotov recalled: “Since we refused to join the Marshall Plan, it means we did the right thing.” Both sides helped Europe get back on its feet: the USSR dealt with Eastern Europe, which included Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Albania, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland and which would join the Warsaw Warsaw 10 years later, and the United States, in turn, helped its main ally in Europe - Britain, France, Italy, BeniLux and the rest, except Spain and Portugal, who held a position of neutrality. Both sides dealt with Germany and Austria together, along with England and France, dividing 2 (during the war - one) state into 4 parts. And if Austria managed to gain a neutral status and withdraw the troops of the 4 powers 10 years after the occupation, then Germany could not avoid such a fate. Post-war Germany became an arena of confrontation between two systems, splitting into the GDR (Soviet zone) and the Federal Republic of Germany (American zone).


Flag of Germany in the early post-war years (temporary), symbolizing the division of the country. 1946-49

The Americans clearly did not need the appearance of a competitor in the East and they tried with all their might to contain it. In March 1948, the Brussels Pact was concluded between Belgium, Great Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France, which later formed the basis of the “Western European Union” (WEU). It is considered to be the beginning of the formation of the North Atlantic Alliance. In parallel, secret negotiations were conducted between the United States, Canada and Great Britain on the creation of an alliance based on their civilizational unity. Negotiations between European countries and the United States and Canada soon followed to create a single union. In 1946, Churchill delivered his Fulton Speech, which marked the beginning of the Cold War. On August 18, 1948, the “Dulles Plan” was adopted, and on April 4, exactly 10 years after the end civil war in Spain, a new military bloc has appeared on the map - NATO, which today personifies an evil beast, which may soon cease to exist itself, because the signs of decay of this bloc are obvious, and NATO is simply not ready for a big war, and the growth of anti-American moods are getting higher every year and day. This year the bloc celebrated 66 years of its aggressive existence.

However, for the NATO members, everything did not start as smoothly as they wanted. Iceland is the only thorn in the bloc, which does not have its own army, which is why protests have broken out in the country.

The initiators of the unrest are considered to be the United Socialist Party of Iceland, the successor Communist Party Iceland. A group of protesters on the morning of March 30, 1949 gathered behind a school in the center of Reykjavik and headed to Austurvöllur Park in front of the Althing building. Another group of protesters was already there, demanding that the Althing immediately cancel the decision to join NATO. Initially, the protest was peaceful, but then one of the protesters, a member of the Icelandic Socialist Party, shouted into a megaphone that the party leader had been taken hostage. This was the signal to begin: a fight broke out.

The Althing ignored the protesters' speeches and confirmed the country's entry into NATO, but this led to massive anti-NATO protests throughout the country. From May 18 to May 21, 1951, the largest general strike of workers in the history of the country took place, protesting against the Icelandic-American defense agreement of May 5, 1951, which was considered unequal. Over the next few years, slogans were heard more than once: “Remove Iceland from NATO and disband the army!” (isl. Ísland úr NATO og herinn burt!). Left parties entered the elections of the 50s and 60s with the promise of denouncing the bilateral Icelandic-American defense agreement, but when they entered the government coalition, they were forced to abandon this promise.

Protesters began throwing stones and bricks at the parliament building and broke all the windows. One stone almost hit the head of the Althing. The police intervened in the case, and members of the Independence Party came to the defense of the Althing. Police beat protesters with batons and dispersed them with tear gas. The number of participants was several thousand; data on the dead and wounded is unknown. Eventually, in 2006, parts armed forces The US was forced to leave the Keflavik base, although Iceland remained a member of NATO (senior Icelandic diplomat Einar Benediktsson writes that the decision to withdraw units from Iceland was made in the US long before this, and the final step was delayed for at least a decade due to the insistence of the Icelandic government).

The USSR perceived the creation of the bloc in 1949 as a threat to its own security. In 1954 in Berlin, at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the United States, Great Britain, France and the USSR, Soviet representatives were assured that NATO was a purely defensive organization. In response to calls for cooperation, the USSR sent a note on March 31, 1954 with a proposal to consider “together with interested governments the question of the USSR’s participation in the North Atlantic Treaty,” but this initiative was rejected in a reply note with the statement that the organization is “more than military” and such the proposal “contradicts the very principles on which the defense system and security of Western states depends.” In 1954, the West ratified the Paris Agreements of 1954, which provided for the formation of the Western European Union, carried out the remilitarization of West Germany and the inclusion of Germany in NATO.

But the USSR did not sit idly by. Back in 1949. The Soviet Union managed to create its first organization - CMEA, which had the character economic integration. In 1952, Greece and Türkiye joined the American bloc (“First NATO Expansion”). West Germany became a member of NATO in 1955 ("Second NATO Enlargement"). Hanging over the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe new threat. The Kremlin leaders took a retaliatory step. Even before the creation of the Department of Internal Affairs, Stalin said that “communism suits Poland like a mare’s saddle,” because Poland was the cornerstone of Europe. On May 14, 1955, at the Warsaw Meeting of European States to Ensure Peace and Security in Europe, a corresponding document was signed, securing a bipolar world until the end of 1991. Thus, a new bloc appeared on the map of Europe, representing an alternative to NATO. OVD - Warsaw Pact Organization.

Thus, by the beginning of the summer of 1955, the division of Europe between the USSR and the USA was finally consolidated. Dual power reigned in the world.

The Warsaw Pact is a military-political bloc that was the largest military formation in the world that has ever existed, the area of ​​which exceeded the area of ​​today's NATO with all 28 of its members. With about 30 million square kilometers of land, 22.1 of which were in the Soviet Union, it resembled a huge colossus, maintaining which was akin to the work of Atlas in maintaining the firmament. The strength of the Armed Forces was more than 7.5 million soldiers, 5 million of which were parts of the Red Army.

Taking into account the fact that the total military potential of the European countries participating in the Warsaw Warsaw War was not comparable with the military potential of the USSR, the essence of the Warsaw Warsaw Forces was the nuclear “umbrella” of the USSR over the European socialist countries and the ability of the Soviet Armed Forces to use the territory of the allies. The creation of the Department of Internal Affairs legitimized the deployment Soviet troops in Central European countries. In the mid-80s. A group of Soviet troops of 380 thousand people was stationed in the GDR, in Poland - 40 thousand, in Czechoslovakia - 80 thousand, in Hungary - about 70 thousand SA servicemen. At the end of the 50s. preparations were being made for the opening of a naval base on the Adriatic Sea (Albania). Within the framework of the Warsaw Warsaw War, the USSR Ministry of Defense was given the opportunity to control the armed forces of the countries participating in the Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw Forces and to rearm them. The exchange of intelligence information was established. As part of the Department of Internal Affairs, the troops of the Warsaw Pact countries were constantly rearmed, and officers were retrained as planned. A wide exchange of military experience was launched.

According to the number of its participants, the Department of Internal Affairs adopted 8 languages, and Czech and Slovak were adopted instead of Albanian, and all documentation and command were conducted in Russian. If NATO was a typically expansionist bloc, which it remains today, then the Warsaw Department was a counterweight and was purely defensive in nature.

The political leadership of the Department of Internal Affairs was carried out by the Political Consultative Committee, which united the heads of state - members of the organization. Military leadership exercised the Unified Command of the Armed Forces, which, according to tradition, was headed by the Marshal Soviet Union. The first commander was the hero of the Great Patriotic War Marshal I.S. Konev.

In line with the USSR's diplomatic efforts to prevent a global nuclear conflict, the Department of Internal Affairs was positioned as a defensive bloc, whose activities were directed against possible aggression from NATO.

Within the Department of Internal Affairs, decisions were not made by consensus. The organization was under the complete control of the Soviet leadership, in military terms - General Staff USSR Ministry of Defense. Within the framework of the Warsaw Warfare, a policy of bilateral multi-level complex military-political integration of the socialist countries of Central Europe with the USSR was pursued, establishing strict control over the armies of the countries allied to the Soviet Union. The effectiveness of this policy was demonstrated in 1981, when the armed forces of the Polish People's Republic actually performed police functions, relieving the ML from the need to intervene in the internal affairs of Poland, following the example of 1968 in Czechoslovakia.

Like NATO, the Warsaw Department was not without internal contradictions and problems. In 1961, due to political and ideological differences between Moscow and Tirana, Albania ceased its participation in the activities of the Department of Internal Affairs; in 1968, Albania formalized its withdrawal from the organization. In 1966, General de Gaulle made the same demarche, withdrawing his country from NATO, retaining only his political structures in the bloc. The leader of the National Front, Marine Le Pen, plans to slam the door with all her heart and completely withdraw the country from NATO, including not only the military, but also the political structures, if she wins the 2016 presidential elections. In the 70s and 80s, periodically Romania demonstrated its special position in the activities of the Department of Internal Affairs. From time to time, leaks of military-technical information to NATO member countries were discovered in the activities of the allies.

The most important part of the activities of the Department of Internal Affairs was the wide cooperation of intelligence services and various special forces, which constitute the main support of the ruling regimes in the countries participating in the organization.

The treaty entered into force on June 5, 1955. On April 26, 1985, due to expiration, it was extended for 20 years. Currently inactive.
The treaty consisted of a preamble and 11 articles. In accordance with its terms and the UN Charter, the states parties to the Warsaw Pact were obliged to refrain from their international relations from the threat or use of force, and in the event of an armed attack on any of them, to provide the attacked states with immediate assistance by all means that seem necessary to them, including the use of armed forces.

Management structures of the Department of Internal Affairs
The Political Advisory Committee (PAC) is the highest collective body of the organization. Created to conduct consultations and consider issues arising in connection with the implementation of the Warsaw Pact.
Unified Command of the Armed Forces (UCAF) - to ensure the interaction of armed forces and strengthen the defense capability of the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact.

Commanders-in-Chief of the OKVS:
1955-1960 - I. S. Konev - Marshal of the Soviet Union,
1960-1967 - A. A. Grechko - Marshal of the Soviet Union,
1967-1976 - I. I. Yakubovsky - Marshal of the Soviet Union,
1977-1989 - V. G. Kulikov - Marshal of the Soviet Union,
1989-1991 - P. G. Lushev - Army General.

Chiefs of Staff:
1955-1962 - A. I. Antonov - Army General,
1962-1965 - P.I. Batov - Army General,
1965-1968 - M.I. Kazakov - Army General,
1968-1976 - S. M. Shtemenko - Army General,
1976-1988 - A. I. Gribkov - Army General,
1989-1991 - V. N. Lobov - Army General.

ATS declarations
At the Moscow meeting of the PKK (1958), a Declaration was adopted, which proposed concluding a non-aggression pact between the member states of the Warsaw Pact and NATO members.

In the Declaration adopted at the meeting of the PKK in Moscow (1960), the allied states approved the decision of the Soviet government to unilaterally abandon nuclear tests provided that the Western powers do not also resume nuclear explosions, and called for the creation favorable conditions to complete the development of a treaty to stop nuclear weapons testing.

At the Warsaw meeting of the PAC (1965), the situation that had developed in connection with plans to create NATO multilateral nuclear forces was discussed, and protective measures were also considered in the event of the implementation of these plans.

The most complete peace-loving program of the Warsaw Pact member states was formulated in the Declaration on Strengthening Peace and Security in Europe, adopted at the PCC meeting in Bucharest (1966). The program for achieving European security developed in the Declaration provided, in particular, along with the solution of other important issues, the development of good neighborly relations between all European states based on the principles of peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems; partial measures for military detente European continent; exclusion of the possibility of Germany's access to nuclear weapons in any form; recognition of actually existing borders in Europe, etc. To discuss issues of ensuring security in Europe and establishing pan-European cooperation, the states participating in the Warsaw Pact proposed convening a pan-European meeting.

Budapest meeting of the PKK (March 17, 1969) - adopted the Declaration on Strengthening Peace and Security in Europe. The Budapest meeting of the PKK, along with considering issues of strengthening and improving the military organization of the Warsaw Pact, paid great attention to issues of European security and adopted an Appeal to all European countries regarding the preparation and holding of a pan-European meeting with the aim of finding ways and means leading to the elimination of the division of Europe into military grouping and the implementation of peaceful cooperation between European states and peoples, towards the creation of a strong system of collective security.

The bloc participants did not remain idle. Like NATO, they also conducted joint command and staff and military exercises and maneuvers. The exercises were carried out on the territory of all countries included in the Warsaw Department. The largest included exercises codenamed “Quartet” (1963), “October Storm” (1965), “Rhodope” (1967), “Dnepr” (1967), “North” (1968), “Brotherhood in Arms” (1970), “West-81” (1981), “Shield-82” (1982).

Within the framework of the Department of Internal Affairs, the Military Council of the United Armed Forces was also created. The presence of the Department of Internal Affairs provided a legal basis for the participation of Soviet troops in the suppression of the anti-communist uprising in Hungary in 1965. In 1968, military contingents of the participating countries of the Department of Internal Affairs took part in the events in Czechoslovakia, suppressing the “Prague Spring”. Also in 1968, participants in the Bucharest meeting of the Department of Internal Affairs, as well as the meeting of the PKK in Sofia, strongly condemned the US armed intervention in Vietnam.

The war in Afghanistan was the beginning of the end not only of the USSR, but also of the bloc itself. The Red Army fought alone against the Mujahideen, while its allies simply sat back in their offices. The main thesis worked Russian history: "our allies are the army and navy; everyone else is against us." Possibly due to the fact that Soviet leaders They were too disdainful of it, and history punished them for this. On July 1, 1991, the "Union of Peace and Socialism", the "red nuclear porcupine" ceased to exist.

It all started with the seizure of power in Poland by the Solidarity trade union under the leadership of L. Walesa. It is no longer a secret to anyone that Solidarity was nurtured by the CIA and the seizure of power actually symbolized the transfer of Polish sovereignty from one hand to another. Whether representatives of the current Polish elite remember this fact is a question for them. One way or another, Poland became the first state after Albania to leave the ATS zone. In 1993, the country joined NATO, where it remains to this day, but under a different protectorate.
Events in Poland are present in the band's song Civil defense"New Patriotic":

"We are not afraid of Almaty and the events in Poland
After all, there are more and more heroic patriots every day
And for the counter, a mother like Lech Walesa
We will rediscover Buchenwald and Auschwitz
Conduct experiments on all kinds of anarchists
We have steel arguments for everything

After all, we are moving along a flaming path to communism.
We are moving along a burning path towards communism."

The “burning path” of the USSR ultimately led not to communism, but to its own collapse. Another saying that the Soviet leaders forgot: “they don’t go to someone else’s church with their own rules.” Today, the Americans themselves disdain it, having started the whole global mess, and now they are clearing it up and fighting terrorism alone and without the help of allies, and unfortunately, unsuccessfully, thereby signing up for inciting terrorism and stepping on the same rake.

The Red Army left, and the USSR ceased to exist. But who knows when we will return again and when the USA will disappear - it’s a matter of time. The creation of the CSTO is one of the important steps in foreign policy post-Soviet Russia, which does not provide for the creation of puppet governments in the Eurasian space, unlike the Warsaw Internal Affairs and NATO, and is a more advanced model of a military-political bloc, taking into account all the characteristics of its participants. Therefore, I want to ask a question to those people who want to go back to the USSR: do you really want pro-Russian puppet governments to appear in Europe? Come to your senses, this is the 21st century—the age of information and information wars. No one will ever lick your anus for your desire to see this or that country in its ranks. Time to cooperate with the healthy forces of Europe, time to find common ground on equal conditions. The lesson of Soviet influence in the West, nevertheless, was learned at least formally - why again expose your country to the stigma of an occupier?
As the Spanish philosopher Jorge Santayana noted: “Whoever does not learn history is doomed to repeat it.” Experience shows that you need to learn from the mistakes of others so as not to repeat them later. Let the Americans repeat them, but this is no longer our business and there is no need for us to help them with anything. Our job is to go our own independent way.

So, have a good journey, and may the heavenly light show you the way to a clear future! And the police department will remain a memory to this day. A pleasant memory of the glorious era of military and ideological brotherhood!

On friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, the USSR and Czechoslovakia was signed on May 14, 1955 at the Warsaw Meeting of European States to Ensure Peace and Security in Europe.

Representatives of eight European states, who gathered for a meeting on May 11, 1955 in Warsaw (a representative from China was present as an observer), motivated the conclusion of the Warsaw Pact by the need to respond to the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the inclusion of West Germany and the policy of its remilitarization. Joint measures to ensure security and defense based on bilateral treaties of 1943-1949. about friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were considered insufficient.

The goals of the Warsaw Pact were to ensure the security of the countries participating in the Treaty and maintain peace in Europe.
The treaty consisted of a preamble and 11 articles. The preamble formulated the goals of concluding the Warsaw Pact, and indicated that the parties to the treaty would respect the independence and integrity of the allied states and not interfere in their internal affairs.

The purely defensive nature of the Warsaw Pact was declared. The states parties to the Warsaw Pact undertook, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations (UN), to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force, to resolve disputes by peaceful means, to consult each other on all important international issues affecting their common interests, declared their readiness to take part in all international actions aimed at ensuring international peace and security, to seek the adoption of effective measures for a general reduction of armaments and the prohibition of weapons of mass destruction, provided for the provision of immediate assistance by all means, including the use of armed force, in the event of an armed attack in Europe on one or more states party to the Treaty.

To implement the goals and objectives of the Warsaw Pact, it provided for the creation of relevant political and military bodies, incl. Political Advisory Committee and the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of the participating States.

(Military Encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. in 8 volumes, 2004. ISBN 5 203 01875 - 8)

The Warsaw Pact entered into force on June 5, 1955, after the deposit of instruments of ratification by all parties to the Treaty with Poland as the depositary country.

The Warsaw Pact was concluded for 20 years with automatic extension for the next 10 years for those states that do not denounce the Treaty one year before the expiration of this period.

Albania has not participated in the work of the Warsaw Pact bodies since 1962, and in 1968 announced its denunciation.

On April 26, 1985, the member states of the Warsaw Pact signed in Warsaw the Protocol on the extension of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. In accordance with the Protocol, which entered into force on May 31, 1985, the Warsaw Pact was extended for 20 years with the possibility of a subsequent extension for another 10 years.

The GDR ceased to be a member of the Warsaw Pact in 1990 due to its unification with the Federal Republic of Germany.

In connection with socio-political transformations in the USSR and other countries of Eastern Europe at the turn of the 1980-90s. in February 1991, the participating countries decided to abolish the military structures of the Warsaw Pact. On July 1, 1991, in Prague, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the USSR and Czechoslovakia signed a protocol on the complete termination of the 1955 Warsaw Pact.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

An international agreement, in accordance with the decisions of which a military bloc of European socialist states was created, led by the USSR.

After the creation of NATO (April 4, 1949), agreements on military cooperation were concluded between the USSR and a number of socialist countries. The first friendship treaty was signed during the Second World War: on December 12, 1943 with the Czechoslovak government in exile. In 1943-1949, 23 bilateral agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were signed between the countries of Eastern Europe.

However, the USSR refrained from further steps until the German regiment was formally involved in the military bloc. On October 23, 1954, members of the military Brussels Pact (France, Great Britain, Benelux countries) and Italy signed the Paris Agreement with Germany, which effectively proclaimed the remilitarization of West Germany and its eventual accession to NATO. The USSR took a number of diplomatic measures in an attempt to prevent such a development. At the meeting held in Moscow on November 29 - December 2, 1954. The Security Conference of representatives of 8 socialist countries adopted the Moscow Declaration, in which they warned that if the Paris Agreement was ratified, they would take steps to create a new military bloc. NATO countries ratified the Paris Agreement, which entered into force on May 5, 1955.

On May 11-14, 1955, the Meeting of European States to Ensure Peace and Security in Europe was held in Warsaw. On the last day of his work (May 14, 1955), the heads of government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the Socialist Republic of Romania (SRR), People's Republic Bulgaria (PRB), Polish People's Republic (PRP), German Democratic Republic(GDR), the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CSSR), the Hungarian People's Republic (Hungarian People's Republic) and the People's Socialist Republic of Albania (NSRA) signed a treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. Representing the People's Republic of China (PRC), Minister of Defense and Deputy Premier of the State Council Peng Dehuai participated in the conference as an observer.

Provisions of the Warsaw Pact

The text of the treaty consisted of a preamble and 11 articles. The participants stated that “the situation created in Europe as a result of the ratification Paris Agreements, providing for the formation of a new military grouping in the form of a “Western European Union” with the participation of a remilitarized West Germany and its inclusion in the North Atlantic bloc, which increases the danger new war and poses a threat national security peace-loving states." In accordance with the UN Charter, the contracting Parties have undertaken to “refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force and to settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner as not to endanger international peace and security” (Article 1). At the same time, they decided to “consult among themselves on all important international issues... guided by the interests of strengthening international peace and security” (Article 3). The most important was the 4th article of the treaty, which stated that “In the event of an armed attack in Europe on one or more states party to the Treaty by any state or group of states, each state party to the Treaty ... will render assistance to the state or states subjected to such attack , immediate assistance... by all means that seem necessary to him, including the use of armed force.” Finally, the participating countries pledged “not to take part in any coalitions or alliances and not to enter into any agreements the purposes of which are contrary to the purposes of this Treaty” (Article 7).

The agreement was concluded for a period of 20 years and, after the transfer of all instruments of ratification (in the USSR, the agreement was ratified by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 25, 1955) for storage by the government of the People's Republic of Poland (June 1, 1955), it came into force on June 5, 1955. At the same time, the GDR initially joined the Warsaw Pact only politically; it entered the military part of the treaty only on January 28, 1956, 10 days after the signing of the law on the creation of the National People's Army. In 1975, the contract was automatically extended for 10 years, because There have been no statements of denunciation from participating countries. As the expiration date of the treaty approached, on April 26, 1985, its participants extended its validity for another 20 years (i.e., until May 14, 2005).

Warsaw Pact Organization (WTO)

To develop a general military strategy, coordination of actions and leadership of the Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact countries under the terms of the agreement (Articles 5 and 6) were created Political Advisory Committee(PKK) and the Unified Command of the Armed Forces (UCAF). It included leaders of communist parties, heads of state, heads of government and foreign ministers. The PKK was the highest collective body of the ATS and met to consider fundamental issues related to the implementation of the provisions of the Warsaw Pact, as well as to discuss measures to strengthen and improve the ATS. The bodies of the PAC were: the Committee of Foreign Ministers and the joint Secretariat, established in 1976. Secretary General The PAC was at the same time the head of the Joint Secretariat, which was the executive body of the PAC and consisted of standing committees on various issues.

PAC meetings were held alternately in the capitals of the participating countries. The first meeting of the PAC took place on January 27-28, 1956 in Prague; Representatives of the Mongolian People's Republic took part in it as observers. In addition to meetings of the PAC, conferences of the foreign ministers of the Warsaw Pact member states were also held regularly; the first such conference took place in Warsaw on April 27-28, 1959 (representatives of the PRC took part in it as observers).

In addition to discussing issues, declarations were also adopted on the most important issues related to ensuring peace and security in Europe.

Unified Command of the Armed Forces was created to ensure interaction between armed forces and strengthen the defense capabilities of countries participating in the Warsaw Pact. The OKVS was headed by the commander-in-chief (always a representative of the USSR Armed Forces) and with him a headquarters, which was also headed by a representative of the USSR, although it also included generals, admirals and officers of all allied armies of the Warsaw Pact countries. OKVS was located in Moscow. Afterwards, the leadership of the USSR decided to expand the rights of its partners. In 1869, the Committee of Defense Ministers was created - a coordination center on military issues, which also included the commander-in-chief and chief of staff of the Department of Internal Affairs. The Committee formed the Military Council of the OKVS from deputy ministers of defense, which held regular meetings on issues of increasing the combat capability of the armed forces, as well as the Technical Committee.

Commanders-in-Chief of the United Armed Forces (UAF): Marshal of the Soviet Union I.S. Konev (05/14/1955-07/23/1960); Marshal of the Soviet Union A.A. Grechko (07/24/1960-04/12/1967); Marshal of the Soviet Union I.I. Yakubovsky (04/12/1967-11/30/1976); Marshal of the Soviet Union V.G. Kulikov (01.12.1976-14.02.1989); Army General P.G. Lushev (02/15/1989-03/31/1991)

Chiefs of Staff of the United Armed Forces (JAF): Army General A.I. Antonov (05/14/1955-06/16/1962); Army General P.I. Batov (06/17/1962-1965); Army General M.I. Kazakov (1965-1968); Army General S.M. Shtemenko (08.1968-04.1976); Army General A.I. Gribkov (1976-1989); Army General V.N. Lobov (02.1989-1990)

At the time of its heyday (1985), the number of Allied Forces was 7,562,987 military personnel; after 5 years (by 1990) it decreased to 6,960,700 people. According to a number of estimates, the tank fleet of the ATS armies amounted to 53 thousand Soviet tanks and about 12-15 thousand tanks from other countries.

The most important component of the activities of the Joint Forces was the conduct of joint command-staff and military exercises and maneuvers where the interaction of the Armed Forces of the participating countries was practiced. They were mainly carried out in Eastern European countries. The largest were the “Brotherhood in Arms of the Fraternal Countries of the Socialist Commonwealth” maneuvers, which took place on October 12-18, 1970, as well as the “Brotherhood in Arms” maneuvers in August-September 1980, in which about 40 thousand people took part. Other major maneuvers were: Soviet-Bulgarian exercises (July 1958), “Quartet” (1963), “October assault” (1965), “Vltava” (September 1966), “Rhodope-67” (August 1967 ), “Odra ‒ Nissa” (September 1969), “Dnepr” (September 1967), “North” (1968), “Val-77” (summer 1977), “Zapad-77” (May-June 1977), “Shield-79” (May 1979), “Soyuz-81” (March 1981), “Zapad-81” (September 1981), “Friendship-82” (January 1982), “Shield -82" (September 1982), "Friendship-83" (March 1983), "Shield-83" (summer 1983), "Friendship-84" (February-March 1984), "Summer-84" ( May-June 1984), “Shield-84” (September 1984), “Friendship-85” (September 1985).

The only joint military operation of the Armed Forces of the Department of Internal Affairs was the suppression of the Prague Uprising in August 1968, when military contingents of the USSR, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria were introduced into the territory of Czechoslovakia.

Dissolution of the Department of Internal Affairs

During the Hungarian events of 1956, the head of the government of the Hungarian People's Republic, Imre Nagy, on November 1, 1956, declared Hungary's neutrality and its withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact, but on November 4, Soviet troops were brought into Hungary and the uprising was quickly suppressed, and Nagy's statement had no consequences.

On September 3, 1968, during the Czechoslovak crisis, Albania withdrew from the Warsaw Pact (in fact, Albania no longer took part in any activities under the Warsaw Pact since February 1, 1962, after the severance of relations with the USSR).

On September 24, 1990, after the unification of East and West Germany in Berlin, the Minister of Armament and Defense of the GDR, Rainer Eppelmann, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Department of Internal Affairs, Army General P.G. Lushev signed a protocol on the withdrawal of the National People's Army from the military organization of the Warsaw Pact. By this time, the crisis of the socialist system was already so deep that it was clear to everyone that the days of the Department of Internal Affairs were numbered. Events became irreversible. Already on February 25, 1991, the states participating in the Warsaw Warsaw Forces decided to liquidate its military structures from March 31 of the same year. On July 1, 1991, representatives of the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact at a meeting in Prague signed a Protocol on the complete termination of the Treaty “taking into account the profound changes taking place in Europe, which mean the end of confrontation and division of the continent” (it was signed on behalf of the USSR by Vice President G .I. Yanaev).

On May 14, 1955, the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance was signed in Warsaw. The document was signed by representatives of eight states: Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, USSR and Czechoslovakia. Its signing formalized the creation of a military-political union of European socialist states - the Warsaw Pact Organization (WTO). The organization was created as a counterweight to the Western military bloc NATO, aimed against the countries of the socialist camp.

The main goals of the Warsaw Department were to ensure the security of the countries party to the treaty and maintain peace in Europe. The treaty consisted of a general introductory part and 11 articles and obligated the states included in the bloc to refrain from the use of force in their international relations. However, in the event of an attack on any of the participants, the others were to immediately provide him with military assistance.

In addition, members of the ATS pledged to act in the spirit of friendship and partnership in order to mutually strengthen economic and cultural ties on the principles of respect for independence, sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of each other. It is worth noting that membership in the Warsaw Pact was not always voluntary, and attempts by individual countries to leave it were rather harshly suppressed.

The Political Advisory Committee (PAC) became the highest body of the Department of Internal Affairs. It was authorized to conduct consultations and consider issues arising in connection with the implementation of the Treaty. As a rule, its meetings were attended by the heads of government of the countries included in the Department of Internal Affairs.

In order to ensure interaction between the armed forces of the Warsaw Warsaw states, a Joint Command of the Armed Forces was created, which was to be led by the Commander-in-Chief (the headquarters was in Moscow). Such commanders in chief different times there were Marshals of the Soviet Union I. Konev, A. Grechko, I. Yakubovsky, V. Kulikov, Army General P. Lushev.

The Warsaw Pact helped secure political results World War II and became a kind of platform for post-war development. Both military and political sides were present in the activities of the Department of Internal Affairs. Close political interaction helped the participating states solve many national and international problems. It is worth adding that joint command and staff and military exercises were held on the territory of all participating countries.

The intelligence services of the ATS countries constantly coordinated their actions with each other, and in 1979, a secret project of the global electronic intelligence system - SOUD was implemented, which included electronic and space reconnaissance assets of the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the GDR, and also those not included to the Warsaw Pact of Vietnam, Mongolia and Cuba.

The Warsaw Pact organization existed until the early 90s of the last century. Albania stopped participating in the activities of the Warsaw Warfare Force back in 1962, and in 1968 formally withdrew from it - after the entry of Warsaw Warfare troops into Czechoslovakia. In 1990, the military bodies of the Organization were abolished. On July 1, 1991, in Prague, representatives of the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia signed a protocol on the final termination of the Warsaw Pact.

During the first ten years after the end of World War II, military organizations emerged and improved in the world only in capitalist countries, the core of which was the United States. In the mid-1950s. the situation began to change. Let us recall that the UN as an international organization was created as a barrier on the path of possible aggressors, to prevent the recurrence of new wars, the main possible sources of which at the time of its creation were considered Germany and Japan. It was this circumstance that explained the granting of almost dictatorial powers to the countries that played the main role in the defeat of the anti-Hitler coalition. However, in conditions of increasingly aggravated " cold war"between East and West, each of these blocs considered it possible to replenish their ranks with new members, regardless of their past. The agreements on denazification, demilitarization and democratization of Germany, reached by Great Britain, the USSR, the USA and France, were consigned to oblivion. In 1947, the occupation zones under the control of the United States, Great Britain and France were united and declared a republic under the name of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1949, the USSR did the same - it created another German state called the GDR in its occupation zone.

By force of circumstances and the will of the “Great” powers, these two new formations, whose behavior was determined in Washington and Moscow, found themselves at the forefront of the Cold War. In the early 1950s. Negotiations began on the rearmament of Germany and its inclusion in NATO, supposedly as a counterweight to the USSR. The turn was so unexpected that even some Western countries treated it with distrust. There were quite lengthy discussions and negotiations on this issue, which ended with the signing of the Paris Agreements in October 1954. According to these agreements, the occupation of West Germany by American, British and French troops ended. Their troops were not withdrawn from its territory, but from now on functioned as “NATO allied forces.” Since May 1955, Germany became a full member of NATO, and its territory became a forward springboard of the military alliance.

The leadership of the USSR perceived all this as a repetition of the history of the 1930s. and the rearmament of Germany, which led to the Second World War, the occupation of part of its territory, the death of about three tens of millions of people and decided to unite the armed forces of its allies. So, in 1955, 6 years after the formation of NATO, as a response to the admission of Germany to NATO, Warsaw Pact Organization (WTO). May 14, 1955 Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, German Democratic Republic, Poland, Romania, USSR and Czechoslovakia sign Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance (Warsaw Pact). It provided for the creation of a military-political organization of socialist countries for collective self-defense. Article 1 of the Treaty imposed on its parties the obligation, in accordance with the UN Charter, to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force and to resolve their international disputes by peaceful means in such a way as not to jeopardize international peace and security. The contracting countries declared their readiness to participate in a spirit of sincere cooperation in all international actions aimed at ensuring peace and security, “ to seek the adoption, by agreement with other states that wish to cooperate in this matter, of effective measures for the general reduction of armaments and the prohibition of atomic, hydrogen and other types of mass destruction"(Article 2).

According to Article 3, members of the Department of Internal Affairs were obliged to consult “ on all important international issues affecting their common interests", and also every time, " when, in the opinion of any of them, there will be a threat of armed attack against one or more States Parties to the Treaty" In the event of such an attack, each State Party to the Treaty, in exercise of the right to individual and collective self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, will render the victim of aggression " immediate assistance, individually and by agreement with other States Parties to the Treaty, by all means deemed necessary, including the use of armed force».

Article 5 of the Treaty provided for the creation of a Unified Command of the armed forces, which would be allocated by its participants to the jurisdiction of this Command, as well as the adoption of other agreed measures necessary to strengthen their defense capabilities. The countries that signed the Treaty pledged not to take part in any coalitions or alliances and not to enter into any agreements whose goals were contrary to the goals of the VD. Article 9 of the Treaty declared that it " open to the accession of other states, regardless of their social and state system, which will express their readiness, through participation in this Treaty, to contribute to the unification of efforts of peace-loving states in order to ensure the peace and security of peoples».

The validity period of the Treaty was set at 20 years (Article 10) with automatic extension for another 10 years, unless one year before the expiration of this period its participants declare denunciation of the Treaty. " In the event of the creation of a collective security system in Europe and the conclusion of a Pan-European Treaty on Collective Security for this purpose", which the countries participating in the ATS pledged to strive for, the regional Treaty lost " in force from the date of entry into force of the Pan-European Treaty"(Article 11).

The form of the Warsaw Pact Organization was almost identical to NATO: joint governing bodies, a unified military command headed by a Soviet marshal or general, and joint military bases. Here the USSR played the same role as the United States in NATO. But in terms of goals and degree of activity, the Department of Internal Affairs differed from NATO.

The highest governing body with the right to make decisions and recommendations was Political Advisory Committee, which met at the level of heads of state and government of the Warsaw Pact countries, designed to coordinate all actions to ensure the defense capability of member states, except for purely military ones. Solving military problems was the responsibility Joint Command of the Armed Forces of the Department of Internal Affairs with headquarters in Moscow. Following the example of NATO countries, the Warsaw Pact states also allocated small military contingents to perform tasks in the overall interests of the alliance, while retaining command and control of the bulk of their armed forces.

The Warsaw Pact hardly contributed to strengthening the defense capability of the USSR and its allies. It provided only a legal basis for the presence of Soviet troops in Eastern European countries. It is difficult to unambiguously assess the effect of their presence in the countries of Eastern Europe, part of the population of which, due to historical factors, was wary and even unfriendly towards the USSR.

Soviet military contingents, unlike NATO ones, lived in isolation from the local population, but the influence of the very fact of their presence in the allied countries was significant. This could be seen in the example of Hungary. In the fall of 1956, the Soviet troops stationed there had a decisive influence on the course of events in this country. They were withdrawn from Hungary at the request of the government of I. Nagy, and then returned at the request of the government of J. Kadar, playing a certain role in the “stabilization” of the situation in Hungary over the next 30 years.

In August 1968, the governments of the ATS countries put pressure on the leadership of the Communist Party and the government of Czechoslovakia, which began to reform their country with the goal, as they stated, “ giving socialism a human face" When the official leadership of Czechoslovakia did not want to follow the recommendations of the ATS countries in everything, the latter decided to directly intervene in the processes taking place in Czechoslovakia. The armed forces of Bulgaria, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Poland and the USSR were introduced into this country.

In 1985, the Warsaw Pact was officially renewed for another 20 years, but the socio-political processes that began in the Warsaw Pact countries accelerated its collapse. The USSR, in accordance with international agreements, began to reduce its armed forces, primarily at the expense of the continents stationed in the countries of Eastern Europe. The political regimes in the ATS countries themselves have changed. In October 1990, Germany was reunified, and in March 1991, the joint military functions of the Internal Affairs Directorate ceased to be carried out, after which the Organization, following the example of CENTO and SEATO, ceased to exist. Officially this happened on July 1, 1991.

The Department of Internal Affairs, of which the USSR was the core and decisive force, certainly had a restraining influence on politicians who did not recognize the post-war borders in Europe, especially between Germany and Poland, as well as between Germany and Czechoslovakia. The USSR itself did not gain anything from the existence of the Department of Internal Affairs. On the contrary, he harmed himself by worsening relations with his World War II allies. After the recognition, first by Germany and then by other countries, of the principle of the inviolability of post-war borders in Europe (Helsinki, July 1975), the Warsaw Department turned into NATO’s partner in increasing tension in the world. The change of political regimes in the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe put an end to its existence.

Modern Russia has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate its interest in establishing relations of trust and comprehensive cooperation between all peoples. Russian society is very wary of NATO's expansion to the East by including even former Soviet republics. In fact, the minds of many people protest against the fact that former military bases of the Internal Affairs Directorate, created with funds from the USSR and its allies and aimed at strengthening the defense capability of the Internal Affairs Directorate, are suddenly turning into support bases for NATO, whose main enemy for half a century was officially considered the USSR. Nevertheless, Russia expressed its readiness to cooperate with NATO in all possible areas. In 1991, Russia began to participate in the work of the ACC, in 1994 it joined the Partnership for Peace program and agreed to broader cooperation beyond the scope of this program. To this end, the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council was established, within which consultations and exchange of information are carried out in specific areas without obligations to take joint decisions or joint actions.

Practical cooperation between Russia and NATO began in 1995 during the implementation of the agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, when parts of the Russian armed forces took part in NATO-led operations to restore peace and then ensure stability. On May 27, 1997, the heads of state and government of NATO countries, the NATO Secretary General and the President of the Russian Federation signed in Paris " Constitutive act of mutual relations, cooperation and security between NATO and the Russian Federation » . This document obliged its signatories to establish closer relations not only in their own interests, but also in the interests of all states in the Euro-Atlantic area. Russia also cooperated with NATO in the form of the participation of the Russian military contingent (under the command of NATO General Jackson) in Kosovo.

The ongoing brutal war in Chechnya and the events of September 11, 2001 in the United States contributed to a further rapprochement of the positions of the leadership of Russia and NATO countries. On May 28, 2002, the heads of state and government of NATO countries, on the one hand, and Russia, on the other, adopted the Rome Declaration. It provided for the transformation of the NATO-Russia Council into a mechanism not only for consultations, reaching agreement and cooperation, but also for making joint decisions and joint actions on a wide range of security issues in the Euro-Atlantic region.

However, all of these are measures dictated by the fact that a specialized Organization for the preparation and conduct of mutually destructive wars remains in the world. Without such an organization, without the need to spend huge amounts of effort and money on maintaining the defense capabilities of countries from possible aggression, cooperation between peoples would become more sincere and truly mutually beneficial. Therefore, NATO, which arose with the beginning of the aggravation of the Cold War and itself became one of the sources of this war, must cease to exist along with the disappearance of the reasons that gave rise to and supported it. Attempts to transform into an institution of peace and cooperation, although noble and welcome, are unproductive, since such institutions, which have already proven their effectiveness, have existed in the world for a long time.

The main goals of the international community, proclaimed in the UN Charter, are obvious: establishing comprehensive cooperation between peoples for the sake of progress in each country individually and in the world as a whole. The exclusion of wars and the threat of war as ways to solve international problems will make this cooperation stable and effective. The cessation of the activities of military-political institutions designed to promote the arms race and increase international tension will reduce the danger of wars and may become one of the important conditions for ensuring peace and security on Earth.